Reality Effect
by Teromad
Summary: When George and his sister are ripped from their reality, smashed into several others before slamming into Mass Effect, their crazy adventure was only beginning. Can they get home? Who brought them here? And who's hunting them? Original fic before ME1
1. Broken Realities

I've been working on this fic for a while and thought it's finally time to upload the first chapter. (And don't worry Fear Effect fans I'm still working on it)

This is a semi self-insert but mostly consists of OCs in the Mass Effect universe, also despite many points of this fic (especially in this chapter) this is not a crossover.

I hope you enjoy and any feedback, good or critical, it's highly appreciated.

I don't own anything that isn't an OC in this fic.

* * *

><p>Reality Effect<p>

There was a faint crackling as the tape began recording in the cold dimly lit room. The walls themselves were carved directly from stone and lit only by a small white light. In the centre was a metal table with two men sat on ever side.

"Log C-024B, Doctor Alexis Muller conducting." Said the first man. Alexis Muller spoke in a soft south German accent as his dull blond hair brushed over the collar of his white lab coat that sat over a grey military uniform. Alexis' pail blue eyes gazed across the cold metal table to the chained man sitting opposite. "The subject's name is John Marston. He is American, apparently in his thirties, scars on right cheek and appears to be from the old west…"

"Old! Look, who are you people? Where am I?" An angered Marston demanded.

"I'll ask the questions if you don't mind Mr Marston." Alexis said, "Now tell me, what year is it?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one, now answer it."

"Nineteen-eleven. There, are you happy now?"

"Thank you Mr Marston."

"Look here! Tell me where am I?"

Alexis stopped and sighed. He bent over the table and held his hands together with a serious look. He took a deep breath before saying; "Mr Marston, you are in no position to make demands."

"I won't say another thing until you tell me who you are and where we are?" Marston said.

"Very well, you're on a moon orbiting a distant planet on the other side of the galaxy from earth." Alexis said.

There was a brief moment of silence as the answer twisted though Marston's mind.

"Is this some kind of joke?" He demanded, "This sounds just like one of those stories Jake reads."

"Oh but this is so very real Mr Marston." Alexis replied before turning back to his notes, "Now tell me do you have any family, is this Jack your son, brother…?"

"What the hell do you want with me?"

Alexis sighed.

"Mr Marston I'll be frank. We're looking for advanced technology or unique individuals. Mr Marston, if you want to live, if you want to return home, then tell me, are you special?"

"So what if I am? Are you looking for a hired gun? If so then I'm sorry to say I'm already under a more pressing contract."

"We have ways of extracting what we want Mr Marston." Alexis said in a stern and serious tone, he'd gotten good at saying that phrase. "Even if you're not special, even if you're just a normal man, you can still prove useful to us, to me." Marston stared at him in silence. It was a stair that could make rock crumple away, Alexis however didn't give in.

"Take him to his cell, this concludes the interview."

* * *

><p>It is in the rolling hills and valleys of England's green and present south-west this story begins. Only on this Saturday morning dark clouds loomed over a large town that sprawled out over the river's valley as rain drizzled miserably on the buildings that were a diverse mixture of everything from medieval to modern. It was an ordinary town with a rich history. Few trod the water landed high streets where many chain stores sat amongst smaller businesses, church towers and spires raised above the houses roofs, the Victorian factory and the old castle. It was the sort of town big enough to be on a map yet few outside the county would have heard of.<p>

This is the town that George Williams calls home.

The Williams household lived in a large white house at the end of a quiet street. From the looks of the house there was little clue to the owners Simon and Rebecca Williams wealth. They lived here happily with their two children and pet dog. Of course all that is not important, what was important is that this is where their oldest child George's story begins.

George was nineteen, tall with dark brown hair and grey eyes. He wore a green and white shirt and dark blue jeans. In his room he sat at his computer carrying out his all-time favourite hobby, playing games.

His room itself was large and smartly decorated with green and white walls and matching wooden furniture with a décor of trinkets, his own paintings and a large world map. It was also in what could only be described as an organized mess of game cases, DVDs, books, electronics, pens, pencils, paper, a globe and many more items. He didn't care so long as the floors were clear and besides today was a day off for him, no work, both paid and homework, no chores, nothing so he can just relax and do what he wants and that inevitably would be one of three things, gaming, reading or drawing.

The rain pattered against his window that looked over the small road and towards the hills beyond. The house itself was a large white semi-detached at the end of a row of similar houses that sat the end of the quiet residential street perched on top of a hill. The sound of the rain was one he always found soothing as it fell against the glass and the world outside, currently however it wasn't helping him much as, yet again, his character died.

"_Argh!_ Come on!" He exclaimed before sighing, he then noticed someone in the corner of his eye, his head snapped round to see none other than his sister leaning on his door frame with a sarcastic smirk on her lips.

"Die again?" She asked.

"What do you want Helen?" George asked.

Helen was his fifteen year old sister. She had brunette hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes. Her slender arms were crossed over her light pink sweater and blue jeans clad her legs that were crossed in a comfortable position. She was tall, but not as tall as George.

"Oh, you know, I'm just hanging around,"

"Don't you have some homework or something to do?" George said in an uninterested tone as he turned back to his screen just as the game finished loading.

"Yes actually, Mum said you have to help me,"

"No." George immediately replied.

"But it's history, you love that don't you?" Helen pled with a hint of enjoyment in her voice. George was used to this; Helen always enjoyed finding new ways to wind him up.

"The answer is still no." He said.

"Mum! George won't help me with my homework!" Helen called down the stairs.

"_George, help your sister!"_ A slightly muffled voice called back.

He sighed, slammed his finger frustratedly down on the pause button and then turned towards his sister, raised himself from his seat and said; "Fine then, what do you need?"

The first thing you would notice about Helen's room was how white and graceful it was. There was not a space anywhere that wasn't made to look as overlay feminine as possible. Even the Harry Potter and Twilight books that lined her shelves, the DVDs of the same books, her laptop and seldom used Xbox somehow seemed to fit in to the grand palace like decor.

She began to explain her essay on medieval kings of England as George stood behind her looking down at her laptop. He really didn't mind helping his sister yet he did his best not to show it.

He let forwards for a closer look. "Well as far as- _Ah! Ah arr!_"

"What? What is it?"

"Your laptop, the thing just shocked me." George answered as he waves his pained finger around. There was a static charge in the air that was slowly rising, static shivers travelled up his arms and down his spine. His and Helens hair began to stand on its ends as a hum reverberated around them.

Helen's head slowly spun to George with a frighten look across her face. "What's going-"

There was a brilliant flash of light.

George hit something hard and metal with Helen landing on top of him. He groaned and gasped for air as the whirl of machinery dying down echoed around him.

"_Where is he?"_ A muffled voice called.

George's head was full of questions as another voice that sounded as if it was calling over a radio replied; "_Behind you_."

"_Aurgh!_ Gordon! You've got to get out of there!" The first voice called as George's vision began to clear. He was under some large contraption stuck in some kind of raised metal platform, he was sure that he had seen it before.

'_What the Hell?' _He thought to himself.

"He's outside. I'll go and find him." Another voice called. George looked to his left in time to see a man in black body armour and green trousers leave the room through a large open door. At the far side of the room there was a balding man with glasses and a with lab coat franticly typing away at a computer console. The hum of static began to fill the air again as the man looked up. His eyes widened in surprise as they met George's eyes that were wider with in shock and disbelief.

"_Ahrr!_ Who on Earth are you?" The man cried.

George's mind was racing. He recognized this place, that man. But none of this is real!

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>The team known as SG-1 prepaid themselves in front of the ancient alien circle known as the Stargate. Today was nothing more than a routine trip to an uncharted planet known only as P3D-768. They weren't expecting much. There are no signs of intelligent civilization around the gate.<p>

It was Corneal Jack O'Neill who stepped through the event horizon first and arrived in the dazzling light on the other side. He checked around the gate as his hands rested on the P90 hanging around his middle. The planet was fairly ordinary and like many places Earth like. The trees were green, the sky blue, there was nothing here except for the MALP and DHD.

It was the Jaffa Teal'c who stepped through next followed by Doctor Daniel Jackson and Major Samantha Carter carrying a crate of scientific equipment.

"Right." Jack said. "Carter, Daniel, you do your sciencey stuff, me and Teal'c will have a look around."

"O'Neill, do your hear that?" Teal'c asked as his emotionless eyes scanning around.

"Hear what big guy?" Jack asked as Teal'c took a defensive stance and raised his staff weapon in anticipation of something.

"That humming, it sounds… unnatural."

It was true, now Jack could also hear it, along with Daniel and Sam. It was the hum of a static charge as the air around them became energised. Their hair began to stand as shivers flowed down their spines.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

Then silence as suddenly lying beside the MALP and DHD were two humans.

George groaned and rolled over. He had no idea what was going on. Next to him was Helen with a similar perplexed look. He shifted himself up in bewildered silence and looked around. There were trees around and some kind of unmanned probe that looked vaguely familiar. He looked to his side and saw four people standing in front of… a…

George couldn't believe his eyes.

"Um… Hi there." Jack called, he was surprised to say the least, and little surprised him nowadays, "Teal'c put your weapon down."

George couldn't reply. His moth opened and closed as his mind was overloaded with impossible thoughts. _'First Half-Life and now Stargate!'_

"What the hell's going on!"

"Um, yeah, we were about to ask you that." Jack answered.

"George where are we?" A frightened Helen asked. Her mind was also racing with impossible thoughts and questions.

"You're on P3D-768, do you require assistance?" Teal'c asked. George only could nod as the static charge flowed and hummed around them.

Daniel cautiously approached in an effort to help; "Um, hi, I'm Daniel… um… do you know how you got here?"

George shook his head.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>George fell though large and heavy plants, his fall seemed slower than normal and he hit the ground with far less force than before. Helen landed beside him.<p>

He gasped for air and instantly choked. His lungs burned. He gasped more and more but the air was like nothing he had ever breathed.

"Tawtute!" A surprised and hostile voice called over his gasps.

His vision was blurry but he could make out a large alien rainforest around them and then a giant blue humanoid with feline features standing over him with a bow and arrow that looked as if it could kill an elephant aimed directly at his choking body.

The humanoid growled and lowed the bow before grasping for George's clothes. There was a sudden flash of blue light as the alien reeled back as blue light flowed from it into George. A sudden shot of pain flowed through his bones and though his head and chest, he cried out yet just as suddenly as the pain came it turned into a good kind of warm tingle, he could breathe, his body felt stronger, his ears and eyes more alert to the sights and sounds around.

The humming grew again.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>A cool breeze blew through the air as the evening sun shone down on the sandy streets of Constantinople. The locals in their bright clothes walked the streets in a normal fashion that was until the cries of Byzantine Templars echoed through the streets as the grey coated Assassin Mentor Ezio Auditore raced across the rooftops above. He hoped up and down the walls and terracotta tiles, he launched himself over a street, released his hookblade and caught hold of another building before pulling himself up as rocks and crossbow bolts clattered and flung nearby.<p>

He hoped up onto a zip wire and soared across the buildings before dropping down into a small side street. He was clear; the Templars were lost far behind. Satisfied the Assassin brushed the dust from his robes and he strolled down a side street.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

Ezio shielded his eyes but tripped and crashed on to something soft before hitting the sandy ground. He looked up to see what he had tripped over as a blue light formed around him and began to flow into a young man and teenaged girl, dressed in odd clothes and appeared to be in as much confusion and shock as he was.

Helen choked and spluttered as she gasped for the air around. George turned to her and attempted to see if she was safe before looking up to the shocked Assassin before drawing his eyes to the light that flowed from Ezio into him and Helen.

"Who are you?" Ezio exclaimed in Italian, somehow George could understand him yet was too shocked to answer; Ezio shook his head and asked again in Turkish, again George could understand that yet he didn't know the first thing about Italian or Turkish. He didn't answer; he didn't know what to say, what could he say, his mind was overloading with impossibility and it stung with pain, he clasped his skull as Helens breathing became steady and then also clasped her head.

There was a hum of static.

"Are you alright?" Ezio asked in Turkish and yet again George understood.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>Harry, Ron and Hermione walked through the grand stone corridors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was getting late and the group were making their way back to the Gryffindor common room. The school was abuzz with the upcoming Triwizard Tournament; it was only a week away, but Ron had more pressing matters.<p>

"I mean what's Snape's problem, really, all I did was-"

"Almost blow up half the class." Hermione finished and ignored the ginger haired boy's glare.

Harry merely sighed and shook his head. "You should be happy Ron, if it wasn't for Hermione you would have lost more than a few hours of free time."

Ron grumbled to himself then he suddenly noticed something, there was a high pitched static ringing in the air. "Do you here that?" He asked as the ringing echoed around him. "That ringing?"

"Ron there's no… wait… yeah actually I do." Hermione said as strands of her hair began to rise all by themselves.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

Everyone yelped in shock.

The three pupils stared in surprise at the sight of two people in muggle cloths that suddenly appeared on the ground in front of them.

"Where are we now?" George murmured as he groaned and pushed himself up to look around. His eyes widened at the sight of the three staring at them.

"What did he say?" Ron whispered to Harry. Harry shrugged.

"I don't know. It was Italian I think." Harry said. Hermione nodded in agreement.

"I'm not speaking Italian." George said with a confused look.

"Now that was English," Ron said before turning to Helen. "Is she ok?"

"D-Daniel Radcliffe…" Helen said in a dreamy voice and with misty eyes that gazed up at Harry. George let out a long sigh, rolled his eyes and almost face palmed.

"Who?" Harry asked, slightly unnerved by the look Helen was giving him. It wasn't a bad look and Harry had a few similar looks from girls but this look was the dreamiest and most star struck he had ever received. And she didn't even know his name.

He never got an answer.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan Kenobi stared into the dark eyes of Lord Vader's mask. His hands grasped his lightsaber as he extended the beam and readied himself to meet red beam of Vader's that glowed before him.<p>

"I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan." Vader said as he slowly approached and raise his lightsaber for battle. "We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner. Now I am the Master."

"Only a master of evil, Darth." Obi-Wan said. He lunged forwards, there was a flurry of lightsaber strikes. They clashed and sizzled as the two swung round the other to get a strike. Eventually they stood back facing each over.

"Your powers are-"

There was a brilliant flash of light.

"-what the?" Both Obi-Wan and Vader were surprised to say the least at the sudden appearance of two humans, a young man with a frustrated look and a girl who was muttering to herself about a something named Daniel.

George looked around the room and then lingered his vision on Vader as his mind raced to process the information.

"Um… We're not the ones you're looking for." George said and cringed before the words escaped his mouth. He stared into Darth Vader's emotionless mask he wished there would be another flash of light and send them somewhere safer, preferably home.

"Friends of yours Obi-Wan?" Vader asked.

"I've never seen these two before, but they are anomalies in the force." Obi-Wan answered.

"Then you won't miss them." Vader said darkly as he raised his lightsaber.

There was a hum of static.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>The Gulag is less than a prison and more of a death sentence. There are no such things as friends here, only yourself. It is a frozen hell, and one that Captain John Price is determined to survive.<p>

He sat in the dark corner of his cell. The sounds of the slow methodical dripping of water reverberated loudly over the ghostly echoes of cries from other prisoners. It was the same every day and night, it was driving him mad, and so was that sudden static sound.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

"Bloody 'ell!" The captain exclaimed as he quickly blinked his vision clear and looked upon the two people in his cell.

Wasting no time he sprang into action and grabbed the young man by the collar of his shirt. "Who the hell are you?" He said as he glared into George's shocked eyes, a blue glow began to flow from him and into George. "What the…"

"I'm a friend! I'm a friend!" George squeaked in panic and pain and raised his hands to his stinging head.

"How did you get here?" Price demanded, "What's going on?"

"I don't know! I don't know!" George answered. "I'm just as confused as you are!"

Price sighed and released George who crashed to the ground next to a terrified Helen. They barely noticed the static building around then. He looked at the flowing blue light that travelled from him and into George.

"What is this?"

He never got an answer.

There was a brilliant flash of light.

* * *

><p>"System overload!"<p>

"Temperature reaching five hundred degree centigrade!"

"Power increase of 1.21 Gigawatts!"

It was chaos in the control room. Consoles exploded and overloaded. Sparks flew and the lights flickered in the dark, cavernous room. Technicians and scientists panicked as those who weren't on the floor taped franticly at the holograms and controls in an attempted to bring the systems under control.

"Sir! It's coming through!" Alexis called up to a metal platform where a man stood, clasping onto the railing not for support but in determined annoyance.

He wore a pure black military uniform with matching well-polished leather belts and jackboots, underneath was a brown shirt and two silver insignias of three oak leaves above two diamond pips sat on his collars. A peeked cap sat over his greying black hair and shaded his face yet three scars that dragged down the right side remained as clear as his cold and emotionless grey eyes that glistened in the shadow. He was in his fifties and over all had a look that said he was never to be messed with, otherwise you will regret it, and you most certainly would beg to have never been conceived yet alone born.

The man glared down though large glass windows where another platform stood amongst bolts and sparks of electricity. Two large towers raised on either side of the platform which channelled the lightning to the centre where a ball of brilliant light pulsated and faded into and out of existence.

There was an explosion.

"Shut it down!" The man barked. He'd spent too long on this project to stop now. If the machine was destroyed then there was no hope in returning home and everything they had been doing would have been for nothing.

Without hesitation Alexis ran out of the control room and into the chamber. Up above the platform three rings span around each over in opposite directions conducting lightning down to the central coil and then onto the platform where the towers attempted to hold the portal. He charged under the Faraday cage towards the main power junction. Sweat dripped from his brow as he threw open a bulky red box and then pushed up a hefty leaver.

Everything stopped. The whirring of engines died down. The lightning ceased. Alexis sighed out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

Back in the control room the man in black turned to a scientist near a working console and barked in an authoritative tone, "You! Where did the portal go?"

"Local universe Sir." The man shakily answered as his shocked eyes scanned the orange console, "This Galaxy, somewhere... I don't know where exactly sir."

"Well find out then!"

* * *

><p>The Citadel gleamed in the purple glow of the Serpent Nebula. The streets and towers of the Wards glowed a pleasant orange as they rotated from the halo of white light that is the Presidium.<p>

Ships of all shapes and size soared soundlessly around as smaller 'cars' glided between the Wards' towers and superstructures where many millions of people of all known species lived, worked or otherwise occupied.

The people of the Citadel went about their everyday lives. Some worked, some partied, some rested, some stroll through the presidium, some shopped, some covered up galactic incidences, some caught criminals, some begged, some sort information and some found out how unpleasant the lowest levels can be, although they didn't live long enough to regret it.

On one level at the uppermost reaches of the superstructure yet below the towers a small rodent descended from some of the first stowaways on the first Asari ships scurried about the bustling markets, shops, restaurants and clubs and into a small alley in search of a meal. It didn't know that it would be witness to a remarkable and seemingly impossible event that even the greatest Salarian scientist or Asari philosopher would dismiss as fiction.

Nor would it know the far reaching ramifications that would be caused by the sudden brilliant flash of light that brought two living beings into spontaneous existence. It caused a great commotion in the space-time continuum and the fabric of reality that suddenly found itself very unreal.

Of course every reality has weak spots for instance one of this galaxy's is a small moon orbiting a distant plaint where this is almost a daily occurrence. However the Citadel was not a weak spot and this led to some interesting effects.

For example a ship that's element-zero core was going into meltdown suddenly found itself safe and its crew surprisingly alive, and considerably richer. Another example is a group of primates on a distant world in a distant galaxy that suddenly discovered fire, writing, communication, video games and clothes and would forever worship the great gods George and Helen until they destroyed themselves in a thermonuclear war over who George and Helen exactly were.

No one knew this was happening as George and Helen crashed to the hard ground of the alleyway with a wispy aura of blue and white light flowing into them for a few seconds before dying away leaving the two alone on the alley's floor.

"This is all a dream." Helen said to herself as she curled up in the foetal position. "I'm gonna open my eyes and I'll be home in my bead and none of this… Ow! What did you do that for?"

"To prove this isn't a dream." George sighed as he sat up on the ground and met his eyes with those of a curious squid-like rodent. "Where are we?"

"I just hope it's safe and warm and comfortable…" Helen said and then she opened her eyes. "Or maybe not." She sighed.

George made several shooing gestures towards the squid-like rodent but gave up as it continued to sit and stair. He sighed.

"I think it's stopped now… So were stuck here."

"But where is here?" Helen asked in panicked distress. "I don't want to be here! I want to go home!"

"So do I, but we must stay calm. Just take deep breaths." George slowly said as he turned to his sister who had tears in her eyes. "Come on breath with me. In… and out… In… and out… feeling better?"

"No, just stupid."

"Well you're not." George said as he stood, the rodent's eyes followed him expectantly. "First things first we need to find out where on Earth we are."

"I don't think we're on earth." Helen said uneasily as she slowly rose to her feet.

"What makes you say that?"

"That sign over there, it's not in any language I've seen."

For George however the language seamed familiar, what shocked him more was that he could read it.

"I-I can read it, I think." Helen said in shock.

"So can I, It says 'Accesses corridor ZW-103C, Authorised Personnel and Keepers only.'" Something suddenly clicked in George's mind. "No."

"What? What is it?" Helen asked. George didn't answer as he turned and near hypnotically stumbled down the corridor to the far end where a large round door was. Helen and the rodent followed slowly. When a green holographic panel appeared in front of the door George felt his suspicions confirmed.

He slowly reached his hand out and unsteadily he touched it. Nothing happened.

George began to panic as he franticly swapped his hands over the hologram, then a small white light besides the door caught his eye. "Of course, the first game…" He mumbled.

"Game, what game?"

He ignored Helen as he taped the physical button.

The doors swished open.

A sight chuckle of disbelief escaped his lips at the sight before them, humans and aliens walked by, not just any aliens but, Turians, Asari, Hanar and many others. Beyond was a large window looking out upon a city in a pink nebula with another arm visible in the distance, then slightly a large four pointed silver aquatic looking ship gliding by, ripples from dust formed over its kinetic barriers.

"We're in Mass Effect! We're in Mass bloody Effect!" George said in a mixture of disbelief, shock and slight joy that his guess was right.

"Um George… What's Mass Effect?"

* * *

><p>Never before in the history of man was someone as lost, confused and bewildered as George was as he sat in that dark alley on the Citadel. Only an hour ago this place was a piece of fiction and now it was all too real. George believed in the theory of alternate realities but not only did this take the biscuit it dunked it a cup of tea, chewed and digested it.<p>

He had been explaining the world and story of Mass Effect to Helen who was taking everything worse than George. For some reason he suddenly felt confident in impossible and insane situations. It was as if he suddenly had a whole life of experience shoved into his mind.

"So what do we do know?" Helen asked as she absentmindedly stroked the small squid-like rodent. It purred.

"I don't know. I really don't know. We may never get home." George sighed in distress.

They continued to sit in silence until a small sob escaped Helen's lips. George slowly slid over to her side and sighed.

"Helen, listen. I know we've fought in the past but I've always been there for you, and I always will be, even now. I'm your big brother, it's part of the job." George said with a reassuring smile.

"How… How will we eat, and, and where will we live?" He asked between sobs.

"I'll figure something out." George said as he turned and sat against the wall. He thought for a moment. _'Perhaps if I could find Commander Shepard we could join the Normandy. No, that would never work, I may be able to blag my way on-board but Shepard will never let Helen on. Besides it's too dangerous for her. And I can't fight. We don't even know the date or where Shepard is. What we need is money.'_

George slipped his hands into his pockets and pulled out his iPhone and wallet. He hated the idea of selling his phone to some antique shop. It was a present from his father and it was brand new. George opened his wallet to find his ID, driver's licence, a few other cards and a five pound note. Maybe if he found the right trader he'll be able to sell some stuff for something.

He sighed. The rodent lifted its purple head from Helen's lap; it looked around for a moment before scurried off behind some crates. Helen would have called for it to come back, only she knew it was hopeless. She didn't even know what it was.

"If we sell our stuff then maybe we can find a cheap hotel and I'll look for a job…" George began. The rodent suddenly came scurrying back with something hard and orange in its mouth. It dropped it into Georges lap and looked up at him expectantly.

At first George was disgusted but then he got a closer look at the small orange rectangle. Carefully he picked it up and examined it. "I don't believe it," He gasped.

"What? What is it?" Helen asked.

"If this is what I think it is then, then this is a… a…"

"A what?"

George was almost speechless, is breath struggled to escape from his thought as he read the small digital readout on the orange item. "A two million credit chit!"

"Credit? As in money?" Helen asked in as much disbelief as George.

"Yes. I have no idea how but…" George was speechless. He started cheerfully petting the rodent in overwhelming joy. "Who's a good little Asari-squid-rat thing?"

They would never know where the credits came from by some sheer luck the disruption in the time-space continuum had snatched it out of the pocket of a Batarian crime boss who was now franticly searching for it as five unpaid and angry mercenaries surrounded him. The anomaly then dropped the credit chip nearby for that the rodent found and fetch.

George and Helen took their first cautious steps out and onto one of the Citadel's streets. Nearby was a large market with stands selling everything from Turian cuisine to Volus enviro-suit parts. The smells of exotic foods and drink drifted through the air as a menagerie of new, bizarre and wonderful sights and sounds overwhelmed them.

Helen became absorbed by an Asari boutique whilst George was fascinated by a games stand. Nether less he continued through the streets and market in a new high spirit, all the while Helen was demanding for him to buy her new clothes and shoes. He didn't, they needed that money if they were to have a chance to survive, and there was something else he wanted to get first.

They continued though attempting not to look out of place yet something was and it was unnerving George. For some reason they could understand everyone and everything even if they were speaking their own languages. Hearing a Turian speak his own language, which sounded like a series of organized clicks and tweets, and understanding him completely somewhat frightened George.

He found it easier to just ignore the impossibility of everything that has happened, is happening and what most likely will still happen and just go with it. Helen who was in awe of everything was in a similar state of mind.

They turned down a less crowded street where many high end shops, restaurant and cafés lined the sides underneath a glass roof that looked up at the mighty towers and the other four arms that glistened in the glowing nebula, nearby were the walls of the Presidiums ring and the Citadel Tower was clearly visible.

It was the kind of street that was popular yet little known about outside of the local area but it would provide high quality survives and items from family run or otherwise small businesses. The street sing read 'Zakera Ward, Presidium Junction, Sol Street'. Sol, George remembered, was the name for Earth's solar system, which filled him with some form of confidence as he walked amongst the Turians, Asari, Salarians, Humans, Elcor, Volus and odd Hanar that also walked and floated down the street.

Soon George found what he was looking for. He approached the purple VI shaped as an Asari stood in front of it somewhat unsure of what to do. "Hello and welcome to Avina, how may I help you?"

"Um… Hi… yeah, what is the current Earth date please?" George unsurely asked.

"The current date in Earth Standard Time is November the 16th, 2181."

George froze. "T-T-Two years…" He muttered with a quiver.

"What's wrong?" Helen asked.

"Two years, we're two years before the game."

"So? It gives us two years to get out of here before those Reaper things attack." Helen pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right," George said as he slowly walked away and sat on a nearby bench. "It's just, everything, it's all wrong," He sighed.

"You think?"

"The chances of finding a way home, they're… they're more remote than… well us being sucking into a game whilst passing through several other games, films, and TV shows on the way here,"

"Is that good or bad?" Helen asked.

"I don't know." George again sighed. He looked around at the crowds of aliens and humans. It somehow seemed so normal despite the differences. "I think the first thing we need to do is buy some Omni-tools."

"Omni-tools?"

"Wrist mounted computer things." George answered as he stood and looked around at the shop singes, he then noticed one on a small shop that proudly displayed 'Wilkinson's Electronics' and its windows were smartly displaying several holographic television screens.

The inside itself was not dissimilar to many small electronic shops back on his earth, although what was on sale were considerably more advanced. George turned to a large holographic screen that to his surprise was playing some movie in full 3D and the name on the base said Sony. He made a mental note to get one. He moved towards the counter when he spotted what he was looking for. A range of Omni-tools were laid out on display each with a name and specification tab, yet truly he had no idea what to get.

"Can I help you?" A kind feminine voice asked in English and in what George would describe as a generic human accent. George looked up to see a woman about the same age as him and slightly shorter with shoulder length red hair and emerald green eyes standing on the other side of the counter looking down at whim with a smile.

"Um… yes, I'm looking for an Omni-tool, well, we're looking for two." He corrected as gestured to Helen was standing beside him trying to look less interested in the technological wonders around her than really she was.

"Certainly, do you know what you want?" The woman asked. George glanced down at her name tag on her purple and white shirt that said 'Eleanor' in a constantly changing string of languages, all of which he could read.

"Yes, well, no not actually. I kind of want a good one, what's the best you've got?"

"Easy," Eleanor said as she reached into the cabinet and pulled out a small wrist strap like device. George quickly realised where this was going and slid his wrist watch of his left arm and into his pocket while she wasn't looking. "This one here comes complete with pretty much everything, I've got one and personally it is the best I've ever had. Do you want to try it?"

"Ok,"

"Left or right handed?"

"Right," George answered. Eleanor smiled as she gently guided her soft hands to strap the band onto George's outstretched left arm.

"Are you implanted?"

"What?" George answered in a tone and look that showed more confusion and predominately shock than when he first arrived on the Citadel.

"Sorry, I mean do you have the implants that allow you to use these things without interface gloves?" Eleanor said.

George blinked in thought, he was sure had never heard of that from the game, people just touched things and they worked, although now he comes to think about it, it does make some form of sense, and he vaguely remembers something about gloves and 'bare skin' from the game's codex.

"No, actually I don't." He said awkwardly.

Eleanor gave a light giggle, "Don't worry about it, I only got mine done a month ago and I suggest you do too, it fells so right just to be able to touch things without gloves. I have no I idea why I didn't get them on my eighteenth." She reached behind the counter again and pulled out a packet of small black disposable gloves.

Eleanor continued to smile a genuine smile, not one of those fake ones most people have in shops as she held out the glove and gently helped put it on is right hand.

Eleanor spent the next half-hour talking George and Helen though the Omni-tool. By the end he knew almost all the functions, had set himself an e-mail, booked an appointment to see a doctor about implants, and had chosen his operating system, Microsoft Omni-Windows 2. The omni-tool seemed far more advanced than the one in the game, instead of the plain orange shell he actually had a screen with menus and things to click on. "I'll take it." He said.

"I knew you would," Eleanor replied, "but it is expensive I'm afraid. There ten thousand each,"

"I'll take two, one for me and one for Helen," George instantly replied.

"Seriously? Can you really afford that?" Eleanor asked, George waved the credit chit, her eyes bulged.

"Well then, in that case you've just gave us a week's profit in a day." She said almost giddily, she scanned the credit chit with her omni-tool, there was a ping and the credit readout decreased by twenty thousand.

Next on George's and Helen's mind was food. They had found a small restaurant and sat at a far table. The menu was filled with many strange, exotic sounding and undoubtedly alien foods. As George looked though the menu it again began to sink in that he, a nobody, and his sister, was stuck in a game. Only this wasn't a game. It was a real living world that in which everyone existed just as much as back in his world.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Helen asked.

"Why are we here? How are we here?"

"I don't know George. I've been following you in all of this,"

"I know, it's just…" George sighed, "I don't know what to do. We're here, in a game and, even with all this money I have no idea what to do. Were we brought here for a reason? Was it just some random event?"

"You'll figure out what to do. You always do." Helen said hopefully.

"Yeah, you're right." George said, "If this was some random event in space though then what was all that white light and why can we understand all these languages?"

"It's strange but you're the sciencey one, don't you know anything?"

George rubbed his head with is hand, "Wormholes, parallel dimensions, black holes, nothing about insanely becoming the most multilingual being in existence."

"Are you ready to order?" The Asari waters asked.

Their meal was interesting to say the least, and that was in a good way. Helen had some kind of Asari meat and pasta whist George ended up having what he could only describe as Asari fish curry, which was surprisingly hot and spicy for a graceful and aquatic species such as the Asari. The fish tasted like a cross between cod and haddock, it was generously bathed and in and mixed with a sauce that didn't hold back on the spices and had an aftertaste of lemon, with it was rice like small beads that gave the appearance that someone had dropped a bag of small plastic beads in the pot. Overall he liked it.

After George paid for the food and left a tip that made the Asari waitress squeal in delight (he still hadn't worked out the exchange rate) George and Helen proceeded to wonder around the Presidium. The artifice lighting was beginning to dim and his Omni-tool's clock said it was getting late.

"So what now?" Helen asked.

"I suppose we should find a hotel somewhere to stay for a few nights." George sighed, "As much as I hate to say this but this most likely is our home now. I suppose I should also find a proper place for us to live and a job. Who knows how long this money would last,"

"We are going clothes shopping right?" Helen asked.

"What?"

"You know, we can't wear these out of date rags for the rest of our lives,"

"I know that, but, right now?"

"Is there any better time?"

George remained firm under his sister's pleading cheerful smirk. But she was right, although they weren't completely conspicuous they were receiving a few glances similar to those that someone from their time would give to someone in clothes from the Victorian times.

"Fine," George said, "But only one outfit for tomorrow. I want to go to bed."

* * *

><p>The hotel wasn't necessary prestigious or massively expensive yet the rooms it provided with views of the Presidium were what George believed was considered modern and stylish.<p>

Helen dumped her bags in one room and proceeded to fall back onto the large white bed with a sigh. It was late and George was exhausted, not to mention being bored out of his mind after hours of Helen dragging him through clothes shops. He moved to another bedroom, it had a large bed with white sheets in the centre of a clean floor made from some kind of soft substance formed into tiles, a large Asari rug lay in under the bed and stretched out of ever side as a Turian made vid-screen hung on one wall. He dropped his bag in a corner before he too flopping down into the bed that was just as warm and comfortable as his was back home.

_Home_, he sighed. Everything he has ever owned and known was now gone, it was a thought that sliced through him. It was his parents he feared for the most. He and Helen had just vanished after all. He couldn't image what was going on at home and in their minds. There would be a police investigation; it would be all over the news as people would begin to point accusing fingers towards them, _his parents_. He had to get back, they both did, and unless that same static ball appeared again and just so happened to take them home, they were stuck here, forever.

He was frightened by the thought; the questions that he was sure would plague him for all his life flowed through his mind again. He sighed and slowly let fatigue drift him into a restless sleep.


	2. No Longer a Game

Thanks for the reviews.

Sorry if it wasn't clear but George's age is stated and he is 19, almost 20.

And if you didn't get the references in the first chapter they were (In order of appearance) Red Dead Redemption, Half-Life 2, Stargate, Avatar, Assassin's Creed, Harry Potter, Star Wars and Call of duty.

Anyway here's chapter two, I apologise if there are any spelling mistakes, and I hope you enjoy.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

* * *

><p>A haunting scream of pain rebounded down the stone and metal tunnels and wormed itself into the cold cells where many people of all backgrounds and species cowered in fear or paced with anger. Again another scream as Alexis removed the needle from the red, blotchy and convulsing arm of the man known as John Marston. He foamed at the mouth and cried out in agony as his body shook itself against the restraints in a futile attempt to escape.<p>

"It appears the subject is experiencing similar symptoms, but the skin isn't right," One doctor sighed as he scribbled notes down onto a data pad.

"I concur," Alexis sighed, "Test 172, failure to replicate results of Dresden strain, close in mental breakdown yet physical effects have failed to have been replicated." He sighed again, "I'm glad that this never happened to…" He cut himself off and bottled up the words before letting them sink back down and released in a long sigh.

"_Yhr Barshards!_" Marston screamed in slurred exhausting agony, "_Ish kills yhr, Ish kills yhr allf!_" A painful sob escaped his lips,"_Ish sorry Abbiii…._"He cried before another scream and then a gasp as the frantic beeping from the ECG reached its peak. Alexis turned to a console as Marston began to snarl and cry in feral anger; he lifted a small cover and pressed a button inside. There was a hiss as the poison chemicals flowed from their holders and into Marston. He convulsed and screamed once more, then nothing.

Marston lay still on the operating table, his skin appeared to have been boiled from the inside as red froth dripped from his pained mouth.

Alexis huffed at the sight. "Burn the body," he said coldly before storming out of the room and down the grey corridors. He swooped into his office and slammed his hand into the close button before crashing down into his seat and dropping his head onto the desk. He remained like that for what seemed like an eternity before raising his head and grabbing a small picture frame.

"I'm sorry," He sighed as he looked into the two figures. One was a woman of his age with a kind face and the other was a young girl, about the age of five, with a happy smile, one that he missed every day.

His office's doors swished open. Quickly Alexis placed the frame face down on his desk and stood with a salute to the man in black uniform who just entered.

"I understand that you have had another of your failures doctor." The man in black said.

"Yes sir, again I was unsuccessful in recreating the virus." Alexis said.

The man in black walked over to one of the many overflowing bookcases that lined the sides of the room. His cold eyes browsed through the scientific textbooks and logs. "That's the problem doctor," he said solemnly as he turned his head to meet Alexis' eyes, "What you see as a failure I see as a success."

"Professor, sir, I don't-"

"Doctor, the viruses that you create and prove to be deadly can be indispensable to our cause yet you deem them a failure because they don't share the exact same characteristics as the Dresden strain." The professor in black said. "I know your reasons Doctor, and I know why you are here, but other projects are far more vital than your side project that I have generously funded, but it's been five years without results,"

"I'm close Professor," Alexis defended, "I… I did it before, I can do it again."

"I'm sure you can but I'm herby ordering you to weaponise the viruses you create, also make sure you have vixens and cures for them, we don't want to infect our own people."

Of all the things he had done, things that many will call him a monster for doing, even Alexis drew the line at biological weapons after what happened to in Dresden, what happened to her. It was a nightmare, one he was responsible for, one which he should have been executed for, yet he wasn't, every day he still hears their screams, her screams. It was his fault.

"Yes sir," Alexis replayed, it wasn't as if he had a choice. He just hoped it was the right one.

"Good, now how's the search for the last travellers going?"

"I'm afraid we've found nothing yet sir, we've been looking though all the locations that we know are weak spots in reality but it will take time to find them."

"You have three months. And that's being generous." The professor said as he turned and left.

Alexis slumped down in his seat again and unturned the picture frame. They live with his mistakes, and he will find a way to fix them.

* * *

><p>George's eyes shot opened in the dim artificial morning light that seeped through the tinted windows and lit the white celling of his room. He looked to his side and read the time on the orange holographic clock. "So it wasn't a dream," He sighed. He slowly pushed himself up and looked around the futuristic hotel room. He also noticed a warm weight on his lap.<p>

His eyes slowly trailed down and met two large purple eyes attached to a purple body that looked like a cross between a squid and a ferret. "You again? How did you get in here?"

"Squeak."

"Right…" George said as he pushed the rodent to the side and slid out of the bed.

Lazily he slipped into the bathroom before going through a seemingly normal morning routine of having a shower before kicking the rodent out of his room and getting changed into his new clothes. They were similar to before, only more 'modern' which in his perspective meant future; he chose a green and white shirt made from some new material, with it he wore blue trousers with boots. He brought up his omni-tool and grinned in delight at the device. It was eight o'clock local time.

George paced though the door and into the hotel suite's main room where Helen sat on a large sofa in her brand new pink fluffy dressing gown watching some kind of cartoon on the large vid-screen, the rodent laid on her lap as her hand stroked its tentacles.

"Morning," She smiled.

"You seem awfully cheerful this morning," George said.

"Why can't I be, it's like being on holiday, in the future, with unlimited money,"

"The money is not unlimited and this is not a holiday." George stated.

"Why can't it be?"

"Because being on holiday implies that you will inevitably go home." George sighed. His mind was torn between enjoying the world of one of his favourite game of all time and wanting to go home.

"You have to be so boring and a downer," Helen sighed, "I'm sure we'll get back someday, don't worry about that." Helen said, George admired how well she was taking all this.

"You're right," He nodded, "Now go and get ready, first we get breakfast then we need to let people know that we exist now, which will undoubtedly involve a mountain of paper work, and then I need to find a job and a more permanent place to stay,"

"Alright I get it,"

"And a school for you." George finished.

"What!"

* * *

><p>After George waited for Helen to complete the long and arduous task of choosing her clothes the two ate in the hotel's restaurant before heading to the Human Embassy.<p>

"So let me get this straight," The clerk said as George and a bored Helen sat on the opposite side of his desk, "You two don't exist and now you what to register yourselves as Alliance citizens."

"Yes, that's the simple answer," George nervously replied.

"Well don't worry, you'll be surprised how often this has happened," The clerk said with a chuckle as he handed over two data pads, "Just fill out these forms and then I'll take you thought the rest."

It was only three hours later George and Helen emerged onto the Presidium with pending citizenships, a wave of relief flowed over them as they were free from waiting and filling out forms in triplicate.

"Thank god, so what now?" Helen sighed.

"Work, these credits will only last so long," George said as he sat on a nearby bench and pulled up the extranet on his omni-tool. "The question is, where?"

"That shop where you got these omni-tools had a help wanted sing." Helen suggested.

"Small electronics shop, friendly staff… Yeah, that may do." George said.

They walked around the gleaming presidium lakes to an elevator down to Zakera Ward. From there they the travelled though the bustling streets and walkways before again coming to a stop outside Wilkinson's Electronics and sure enough there was a digital job hiring screen.

Inside Eleanor hummed to herself as she dusted off the vid-screens and consoles. She stopped and turned at the sound of the store's doors opening, a smile formed on her lips as she recognized the two who entered. "Hi there, George wasn't it, how's the Omni-tools," She said, "You're not here for a refund are you?"

"No, no, they're great, incredibly fast and useful," George replied as he walked over to the counter with Helen following close behind.

"Good to hear, told you we only sell the best, so what brings you back?"

"Well I couldn't help but notice the help wanted sing in your window, and despite the money I'm looking for a job and there's nowhere better to start."

"That's good to hear," Eleanor said, "That sign has been there for almost a year and it's been so boring without Marl,"

"Marl?"

"Marl'Tela nar Rayya, a Quarian, she was _the_ best shop assistant anyone could ask for,"

"Did she finish her pilgrimage?" George asked.

"You know about Quarian pilgrimages?" Eleanor said in mild surprise, George mentally kicked himself.

"Yes, is it so shocking to know about other people's culture and customs?"

"No, sorry it's good to know about them," Eleanor said before falling silent with a brief look of sorrow drifted over her face, George was about to ask is she was ok but she just shook her head and handed over a data pad. "Here, just fill this out and my dad will let you know if you got it, don't worry, I'll put in a good word."

"So your dad owns the place?" George asked as he entered his details.

"Yes, he's out back whilst I look after the store."

"Um, we're kind of not living anywhere so shall I just enter our hotel?"

And that was how it was, George filled out the form handed it back to Eleanor before shaking her hand and leaving. Everything was beginning to have a sense of familiarity. The aliens began to seem more and more human every time they met. George and Helen decided to head back to the presidium, they travelled through the streets, up flights of stairs and painfully slow lifts before turning around some more corners and down other streets, though doors and back down flights of stairs that looked awfully familiar.

"We're lost," Helen stated.

"No we're not," George replied as he turned down another side street and though some doors to another dark alleyway.

"Yes we are, this is so not the way back,"

"You may be lost but I'm not, I know exactly where I am, it's just the rest of the universe isn't aware of that,"

"You took a wrong turn humans," A third voice snarled. George and Helen froze as form the shadows a figure of a Salarian emerged and with a series of clicks a handgun unfolded in his hands and was casually raised towards them, "Turn out your pockets and hand over your omni-tools and no one gets hurt,"

"George…" Helen began to hiss in panic as George slowly raised his hands.

"Don't worry Helen, just do as he says," George said coolly. He was socked as the words escaped his mouth; he'd never had a gun pointed at him, a loaded one anyway. Something clicked in his mind; some instinct he didn't know was there, his eyes quickly scanned of anything that could help. There was nothing.

"Hand them over, now." The Salarian said darkly.

"Fine," George said as he unclasped his Omni-tool.

"Drop it and kick it to me." The Salarian ordered, "You to female."

Helen nervously complied.

"Now your pockets,"

George nodded and slowly slid his hands into his pockets, he felt round and clasped the credit chip in his hand before hiding it behind his fingers and pulled of his the inner linings, he then quickly slid the chip down his shirt's sleeve as he raised his hands. "Nothing,"

The salarian found, he slowly knelt down keeping an eye and the gun on George and Helen as he picked up the omni-tools. "Don't do anything stupid now." He warned and the Salarian turned and sprinted into the shadows.

George stood with a frown of annoyance and hatred on his face. Slowly lowered his arms and before Helen could ask "What now" he started walking forwards.

"What are you doing," Helen hissed.

George kept walking forwards whilst thinking of an answer, "I'm, um, I'm going to get our Omni-tool's back, I think." To be honest he wasn't sure himself, it just felt right. He needed to follow yet the Salarian had disappeared in the dark. George blinked, the world around him changed.

A blue hue fell over everything as a white ghostly figure of the Salarian ran though the alleyway and into a service hatch leaving a white trail.

George blinked back to normal. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Helen unhelpfully asked.

"It was… it was like in Assassin's Creed, Ezio's eagle vision!" George said as he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Helen was about to question more but thought against it as George shooed his head and continued to the hatch. He pressed a small button and the hatch slid open reviling a ladder bathed in a dim red light. "He went down here."

Again Helen didn't question as George stepped in and began climbing down the ladder. Helen approached the edge and looked down, the shaft seemed to go on forever, "Oh please don't say I have to follow."

"You do," George answered as he concentrated on climb down. He saw in eagle vision again, the ghostly figure of the Salarian had stepped off at a hatch below.

"But I'm in a skirt!" Helen argued, George didn't answer as he opened the lower door. "Oh I hope you know what you're doing." Helen muttered as she reluctantly followed.

George had stepped out onto a lower alleyway and looked around; he could see a glowing trail on the ground and leading though a door. He continued and opened it to reveal yet another citadel street. He walked tough the crowds of people following the ghost as Helen tailed close behind.

The ghost turned down a side street and George followed into the shadows, he shifted past Turians and Salarians, Asari and Krogan, Helen struggled to keep up with his pace.

He reached a corner that opened up on a seemingly normal street yet something deep in George's mind told him to be on alert, that not all was as it seems. Here he noticed that there were not C-Sec officers, his newfound senses highlighted many in a light red glow.

"He's in there," George said to Helen as he gestured to a door on the far side.

"What are you going to do, just walk up asked ask nicely?" Helen replied.

"No, firstly the door is locked and there is a camera above it anyway."

"How do you know these things?" Helen asked.

"I don't know," George answered with a hint of worry in his voice, "Right, this way,"

George crossed the street and down an alleyway besides the structure, along the back were windows with aging vid-screens in an attempt to make the residence more appealing. George looked around and through one there was a golden silhouette of a Salarian.

His eyes darted around and came across a stack of nearby creates, he leapt up onto them and scrambled up another.

"What are you doing?" Helen hissed.

"Just keep an eye out," George answered as he grabbed hold of the buildings edge and began to shimmy along to the window.

"Be careful,"

"I've done this before,"

"No you haven't." Helen said. She was right, George hadn't done this before, yet he felt as if he had. He didn't dwell on the thought as he reached the windows edge.

George peeked inside; there were three people, the Salarian, a Turian and a Batarian. They were gathered around a table with a pile of credit chits, Omni-tools and many other valuable items. Along the side of the room was a rack of guns and a table laden with packs of a red sand.

George's arms and legs were beginning to burn from the pain of clasping onto the wall. He had to hurry up doing whatever he was going to do, he really hadn't thought this through.

He looked up to an inlet with a vent shaft. Something told him that he would find a way in up there. But how to get up there? The gap was far too large to reach to and there was no other foot and hand holds. Something else clicked in the farthest reaches of his mind. He closed his eyes as the world around him came clearer. Every smell, every sound, it was an onslaught of filth and profanity. He didn't mind, he gazed up at the gap and lowered himself down the wall, with a final sternums pull of his arms he leapt up.

His feet reached the gap where his hands once were and kicked up hard as his hands now reached the inlet and without waiting heaved himself up. He landed on all fours panting.

"Did… Did I… Did I just do that?" He asked himself in shock. He cautiously peeked over the edge and bulged his eyes at the distance. Helen was staring back up with a look that was one of shock and worry.

George merely smiled and waved as he turned back around and stared at his hands that were held out before him almost wishing he had longer arms to keep them away. He shook his head, he couldn't think about these things now, he had a job to do.

* * *

><p>"These are brand new," The Batarian said as he examined the Omni-tools, "These ought to fetch a hefty price, not to mention personal data."<p>

"I told you I was good boss." The Salarian said.

"What's our taking's for the day?" The Batarian said to the Turian who held a data pad.

"About a Million today, ha, this is too easy."

"_Aahh!"_

"What's that?" The salarian asked.

Suddenly there was a crash as a green shirted human fell through the vent in the roof and crashed to the ground.

George moaned as he lifted himself from the floor and turned to see three aliens glaring at him in angered surprise. The Salarian and Batarian held knives whilst the Turian had grabbed a pistol.

"Um hi,"

"What! How did you get here?" The Salarian said in shock.

"You know this human?" The Batarian asked.

"He's the one I got the Omni-tools off,"

"Yeah, about that…" George began but the others ignored him as all attention was now on the Salarian.

"He followed you!" He Batarian yelled as the Salarian shrink under his glair.

"No sir, I swear," The Salarian quivered as George cautiously began to shuffle towards the table where he could see the Omni-tools.

"Then what is he doing here?" The Batarian bellowed. George reached forwards for the Omni-tools when the Turian noticed him.

The Turian made the first move; he swung the pistol around to George. George acted without realising and slamming to gun to the side and into a counter he swiftly grabbed the data pad and swung it up clobbering the Turian in the face.

The others were now also aware; George snatched the Omni-tools and slammed the table up and into them knocking the Batarian to the ground. The Salarian dodged to the side and charged George with the knife. He reacted faster than he thought he could and grabbed hold of the Salarians outstretched arm and with his other hand slammed into his elbow. There was a snap as the Salarian shrieked in pain and dropped the knife before George kicked him in the face.

The Turian came up behind and grabbed a hold of him as the Batarian freed himself and charged with his knife.

George ducked and twisted and with all his strength shifted the Turian around him. The Turian shrieked as the Batarian's knife sliced into the flesh between his plates.

George lifted his legs and kicked out against the wall and sent the Turian back flying onto the Batarian.

George rolled out of the Batarian's clasp and stood in a defensive stance. No one moved. The Turian was dead and the Batarian under him unconscious, the Salarian too was unconscious.

He relaxed and panted to fill is starving lungs. He looked over the room again and again in complete and utter disbelief. Never did he imagine that he could ever do what he just did.

George took several deep breaths and sighed. _'What is happening to me?' _He thought. Nothing made sense anymore. He just beet three armed and experienced alien criminals and he was unscathed. How did he do it? It was as if he knew what to do and just acted out as if he had done this before, he'd never done this before, he'd never been in a fight, and he was responsible for the Turian's death. The thought made him sick.

The other two couldn't get away, they were out cold, he would have to get C-Sec, but he didn't want to be here, there would be too many questions.

George brought up his Omni-tool and to his relief it was undamaged. He was about to select the emergency call button but thought against it. He glanced down to the Turians wrist and saw his Omni-tool.

Gently he lifted the Turian's arm and opened the Omni-tool, as he expected it was in some Turian language, luckily he could read it.

"_Citadel Emergency Services, what is the nature of your emergency?" _An Asari voice said though the Omni-tool.

"Um, yeah, can you send some C-Sec officers around to this Omni-tools location please?" George asked.

"_Yes sir, what is the problem?"_

"Well there are three, no two unconscious criminals here and a dead one, the room is full of stolen credit chits, Omni-tools, weapons and what appears to be red sand."

"_Can I have your name sir?" _The woman on the Omani-tool asked.

"Call me… G."

* * *

><p>Helen was speechless when George climbed back down the building and into the ally with their Omni-tools. He simply handed it to her and said he'll explain later.<p>

They travelled in silence back to the hotel where as promised George explained everything that happened.

"You did all that?" Helen asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," George nodded, "I have no idea how, but, it was as if I knew exactly what to do."

"Great, yet more mysteries in our unbelievable lives," Helen sighed as she turned towards and switched on the vid-screen.

"_And in other news C-Sec today has finally uncovered the group behind one of the largest crime sprees of Zakera Ward's Presidium Junction," _The news caster announced, Helen gave George a look which George merely shrugged to, _"I'm here on scene with C-Sec officer Garrus Vakarian. Officer, what has happened here?"_

"Garrus!" George exclaimed in surprise as sure enough the blue painted Turian stood outside the building where George was at only hours before.

"_We received a tip-off from a man only identified by the human letter G-"_

"G? That's real creative," Helen commented.

"I was under pressure."

"_We found two criminals still alive but unconscious whilst the third appeared to have been murdered by another." _Garrus said, _"We're currently gathering the vast amounts of evidence…"_

"So who is that guy?" Helen asked.

"That's Garrus Vakarian, one of Shepard's main squad mates and friends. He's also my favourite character, along with Tali and Kasumi."

"You're planning to join them, aren't you?" Helen asked, it was a question that caught him off-guard, one that he regretted the answer.

"Yes,"

"What about me? I'm no warrior, you may suddenly have as sixth sense for battle but I'm no intergalactic heroine. And you don't expect me to stay home alone whist you go gallivanting about the universe fighting robots and gigantic spaceships for god knows how long,"

"Helen, I'm sorry, I want to go but I won't put you in danger."

"That's not what I'm on about, you're the only one left, you know what to do, I hate being alone," Helen said sorrowfully.

George sighed; he forced himself to meet his sister's eyes. Their blue pools were beginning to glisten with tears.

"I won't leave you Helen," He honestly said, "you're the only one I've got left too… I just, I want to help,"

"I know, George, I know," Helen said, "Besides didn't you say that the game's over a year away?"

* * *

><p>Alexis smiled as he watched the results of the tests return. The Dimensional Transporter was lighting up green across the board. Form the control room he could see the rings turning and the lightning arching, it was working again.<p>

"Sir, all systems operational, what are your orders?" A technician asked from the control panel.

Alexis thought for a while, "Call home," He finally said.

"Yes sir," The technician replied happily as his hands began to dart over the console. The lightning ached wildly and concentrated in the centre of the platform. Alexis and everyone in the control room looked on in desperation, it had to work, they've been trapped here for far too long.

The Transporter hummed with static and boomed with lightning as the glow of a wormhole began to materialise, "Go on," Alexis hissed, "Go on, work,"

The glow became brighter, the humming louder, everyone held their breath, then suddenly there was a clash and a boom as the wormhole collapsed and the Transporter shut down.

There was a collective sigh and grumble.

"Alright, try a new set of coordinates, somewhere random, let's see what we get." Alexis said.

The technician nodded and typed again at his console. Soon after the rings began to turn and lightning arched again. A wormhole appeared in a flash of brilliant light and suddenly in the centre stood a metal creature.

It was an interesting design; it was an oversized diving suit that was tarnished with age and salt water, some of which still dripped from the drill on the creature's right arm, molluscs sat on the dull bronze surface and the large windows on the bubble helmet shone with a yellow glow.

What caught Alexis attention more was a young, pail, blond hair girl that sat on the creature's shoulders. Somehow she looked familiar, her drooping and sopping hair draped over eyes that shone an unnatural yellow, it sent shivers down Alexis' spine.

The metal creature in a diving suit looked around in surprise before gently lifting the child from his shoulder and placed her safely behind. It lumbered forwards and then with a flash slammed into the energy barrier around the platform.

The creature roared as the lights in its helmet turned red. It thrashed out at the barrier as the young girl screamed in fright.

"Kill the diver thing, leave the girl unharmed," Alexis ordered.

The large diver continued to slam enraged against the barrier, the young girl rushed forwards to him only to suddenly slam into a second barrier. She screamed in pain, "Mr B!"

The creature roared again in anger before franticly banging on the barrier between it and its little sister. Towers on either side began to hum with a charge. The girl cried as she looked into the emotionless helmet of the oversize dive suit.

The creature stopped banging before crouching to her level and placing his hand on the barrier, ignoring the pain.

"No Daddy! No!" The girl screamed and begged.

Alexis froze. His berth was punched out of him as his hart felt as if it had been clawed out again. Those paid and terrified words of from that voice, it was just like the ones that that haunts him.

There was a flash of light from the towers. The creature let out one final scream of pain.

"DADDY!"


	3. New Life

Here's the next chapter.

Thank you for the reviews. And as for your concerns over George's "Super Powers" making him a "Mary Sue" I'm trying to avoid that I just wanted to give him skills that would prove useful to survive in Mass Effect and would make him unique. So don't worry Gorge will never burst into a room and rip seven krogan apart with his bare hands whilst chatting up Asari models. He's still Human not Superman.

Anyway enjoy the chapter, please leave your thoughts and please forgive any spelling mistakes.

* * *

><p>George was angry, he'd been here for two months now, two months in a whole new universe with nothing but his sister, two months without all his stuff and; "I've gone two months without a cup of tea, real tea, so please tell me that you, of all the places on the citadel, do you sale real tea?"<p>

"You're in luck sir, we have a wide selection of the finest tea freshly shipped from Earth," The cheery Indian man said from behind the counter.

"Thank you," George sighed. He stood in a newly opened café in Zakera Ward not too far from Wilkinson's Electronics; it claimed to provide the best human snacks and hot drinks in the Ward.

"Wow, I've never seen anyone so desperate for a cup of tea," Eleanor said with a chuckle as she paid for her sandwich and coffee before taking a nearby seat, George soon followed stirring to his absolute delighted real cow's milk into his cup of milky brown steaming tea.

"Trust me; you would not believe how handy a cup of tea is," George said as he took a sip.

"You know, I still don't get you," Eleanor said.

"Get what?"

"Well, why you're here, why you, a young man will come here with your little sister and two million credits."

Georges mind raced for an answer, he knew that someday someone would ask that question, "Well, you see, we didn't have much of a choice in the matter, I, Err, well I don't really want to talk about it, yet." He nervously answered, trying his best not to lie.

"Oh I see," Eleanor said with a kind yet sad smile, "I didn't really imagine myself coming here yet after…" She sighed, "Well let's just say there's a reason why I don't have a mother."

George felt a hint of pain from her sanded face. Over the last two months working together he and Eleanor had fast became friends; in fact she was the only person on the citadel that he would consider a friend. Yet despite that he still didn't know much about her.

"How long have you been here?" George asked after a moment of silence.

"Five years," She sighed, it had the opposite effect that George had intended, in that she seemed to become sadder. "Let's change the subject, so, back on Earth… did you ever have any pets?" She said with more of a smile.

"Well yes, a rabbit, two dogs, and more recently there is this squid thing that has been following me and Helen since we first got here. She wanted to call it Squidward but I managed to get her to shorten it to just Squid,"

Eleanor chuckle, "You know, you're by far the most interesting man I've ever met,"

"Is that a good thing?"

"Maybe," She shrugged, "Say, look at the time, we should be getting back."

The Citadel in all its size has begun to seem smaller to George over the last two months. He had found and rented a large apartment in a renowned district of Zakera Ward, it surprisingly wasn't all that expensive for what it provided. He and Helen each had their own rooms and bathrooms whilst the rest was enough for a spare room, a kitchen/dining room and a living room, each room was rapidly being furnished.

Helen herself had surprisingly settled well into a prestigious multi-spices school on the presidium, and much to George's annoyance already had four best friends, only one which was human.

Life here was good, in fact George felt as if here he had a purpose. Yet every day he longed for home, his friends, his family, they have no idea what happened or that he and Helen were safe. There were many more things he missed. From his possessions, his books, sketchbook and many trinkets and mementos that held vast sentimental value to him, then there were the smaller things, he missed the sun and the rain, he missed a cool morning breeze and the birds singing in the rustling green trees und a blue sky with swirls of white clouds.

He missed home yet he also wished that home could be here, that his parents were here.

He couldn't dwell on that however, he had to keep going here, for Helen's sake. Often he found himself researching theories on interdimensional travel and nothing he found could explain what happened or how to get back. He wasn't even sure of what happened or if controlling it was at all possible.

Another thing was that purple rodent, Squid. They weren't in the game but after a quick extranet search he discover they were the Asari equivalent of rats, although if it was a rat George had decided Squid would be equivalent to that of Remy form Ratatouille, only without the ability to cook. She, as George had discovered, paced about the Citadel as if she owned the place and always seemed to follow him or Helen.

In his spare time George has found himself working out, which came as a shock to his body, yet after weeks of working out, limping from painful strains and wheezing after asthma onslaughts he was happy with the results. He was also practicing his climbing a skill he was now sure he somehow subconsciously must have learned from Ezio, along with gaining his eagle vision. That added an entirely new problem to his thoughts, he was well aware of that strange light that formed when people had contact with him whilst they were transporting here, what it was he had no idea but he theorised that it must have somehow conveyed knowledge and experience between the two.

If that was the case however then what about that Na'vi and Captain Price, what did he learn from them? He already knew how to use a bow and the basics of firearms yet he didn't feel like he knew anything new. He also didn't have any mental changes; he didn't feel like a nine foot blue cat man who could plug himself into animals or a grizzly SAS veteran with a liking for cigars, he was the same person as before. Maybe, he thought, he did learn something new it's just supressed in the darkest recesses of his mind hiding behind the faded memories of nightmares.

They entered the shop to see Henry Wilkinson, Eleanor's father and their boss, behind the counter with an Asari customer. He nodded briefly to them before turning back to the Asari, Henry was a tall man with dark hair and tired eyes. He was also a quiet man, only speaking when he had something important to say.

George was used to working in small shops, it gave him a sense of familiarity in a strange new world. He thought of home again. How would they get back? Will they ever get back?

"George."

"Uh… What, oh, yes Eleanor?" George said.

"You seemed out of it there." She said.

"I was just thinking."

"Well if you're done thinking I need some help out back."

* * *

><p>A man walked along the Presidium, he was a short and plump human with thin balding hair and nervous eyes. He shifted through the crowds of aliens on his way towards a small secluded office, why he had to work on the Citadel was beyond him but someone had to represent Terra Firma's interests, only today he was not here for Terra Firma.<p>

He came to a door opposite the embassies. He shifted with nervousness before sweeping his hand over his scalp and through thin hair and with caution stepped though.

The office was almost bare but at the far end a Volus in a black and white enviro-suit looked up from behind a desk. "Ah, greetings Earth-clan," he said amongst hisses of his respirator, "What can I… do for you?"

"Are you Barla Von?" the human asked as he tentatively stepped forwards.

"The one and only," The Volus replied.

The man shifted his feet again, he wasn't normally like this with aliens just this one, who the alien worked for and what he needed to do filled him with anxious dread; "I heard that you're the one to come to if someone requires some… information," he quivered.

"You've heard correct Earth-clan… and there's no need to be nervous… what information can I provide you with… for a price?"

The human pulled a data pad from the folds of his suit and hurriedly handed it over to Barla Von in a fashion similar to how a highly cautious man would if the Volus had the plague. Barla Von looked though the two pictures and information besides them in interest; under his helmet he raised what humans would consider an eyebrow.

"Their names are George and Helen Williams, brother and sister," The man explained, he had a job to do so he'd better get with it, "Two months ago they appeared on the Citadel with no past and no identity but somehow got passed security and registered with the Alliance embassy. What my employers wish to know is, is there any evidence of them existing before and how did they get here?"

"Well, that is interesting… I'll see what I can find out… It won't be cheap though… The Shadow Broker doesn't do this for free…"

* * *

><p>"So how are you feeling today?" Alexis asked to the little girl who huddled in the corner of her 'room'. She had changed a lot in the last two months since she arrived on the shoulders of the diving suited creature that, thanks to some research on classic video game, Alexis learnt was called a Big Daddy. She was a Little Sister, a genetically modified child with a unique sea slug implanted within her in order to generate a versatile genetic modification substance called ADAM.<p>

His superior wanted the slug to be removed and studied but Alexis convinced him that it may damage or kill the slug in the process; truthfully he couldn't stand to see her die in the process. He cloned the slug without harming her and has been protecting her ever since, much to his superior's displeasure.

The girl continued to sit in silence. Alexis had been spending time attempting to rehabilitate her and was making good progress, she couldn't remember much of her past but he learnt her name was Cindy and she was seven years old.

"Come on Cindy, are you happy?"

"I miss daddy…" She mumbled.

"Well, I take care of you now," Alexis said reassuringly, he didn't know why, he had a daughter; perhaps the reason why he was so desperate to help her was because she reminded him of his own.

"No… I want my daddy!" She cried and curled deeper into the corner. Her eyes had also changed thanks to Alexis' work, they were no longer glowing a full unnatural yellow instead the glow had shrunk down to small balls of light buried deep in her eyes' pupils.

There was a knock at the door. Alexis turned to see a technician standing there with a data pad, "Sir, we've received word from our Citadel operative, he's got that information on those two suspected travellers that you wanted,"

Alexis stood, stepped towards the technician and took the data pad and read through it. His eyes widened in delight. "We'll continue later Cindy," He said before turning out of the door and began to jog down the sleek metal walkways in the well-lit caverns.

He turned to a lift and entered before pressing the floor button. Another technician inside looked up from his data pad, "Ah, Doctor Muller sir. I've got the latest performance of results the WF-304, the hyperdrive is fully functioning and dogfight simulations are running well…"

"Not now Wilhelm, we've found them." Alexis said.

"Found who sir?" The technician asked.

"Those two who caused the Transporter to go haywire two months ago." Alexis answered as he turned to look out the back windows of the lift. It raised though the caverns and opened up onto a large chamber. There were rows upon rows of tanks, Infantry Fighting vehicles and battle walkers lined neatly and donned with fresh grey paint. Each was numbered and proudly displayed a straight armed black iron cross with a white outline along its flanks; the white itself was flanked by a thin black line.

Impressive wasn't the word to describe the shear awe of the sight.

"We have all these weapons yet no way of getting home and ensuring that we win the war," The technician sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way," Alexis said.

"Do you think of home Doctor, our families? I looked up my family here in this universe; they all died when the Russians attacked…"

"You'll see them again Wilhelm, history doesn't have to go that way in our own." Alexis replied yet even as he said the words he wished he believed them. That didn't matter now, he had found those two, they were the only things ever to affect the Transporter, and maybe they were the key to getting home.

He hopped out of the lift and bounded down the metal walkways. Eventually he came to the door he wanted, it wasn't like the other doors in the tunnels this one was designed to look like large oak doors of impressive offices back on his Earth, it even felt like them, however that's where the similarities ended. He knocked on one and after a few seconds its heavy surface swung open.

The room inside looked nothing like any of the other rooms in the base. It too was designed similar to many grand offices back home. Its walls were panelled with oak and lined with bookshelves, sculptures and paintings of famous moments in their nation's history. At the far end behind a large oak desk sat the professor in his black uniform behind him two red flags with a white circle in the centre and the black emblem of his nation proudly stood. Above was a large portrait of their leader, its painted eyes seemed to stare down in expedience. Opera music filled the air from the old gramophone that he had playing to his side. Alexis wasn't much for music but he guessed that it was Mozart, or Beethoven, more likely Wagner.

Alexis walked up the room and stopped in front of the desk. His superior didn't show any notice of him as he calmly took the arm off the record and then looked up at Alexis who promptly raised his right arm in a salute.

"This better be good news doctor,"

"It is sir; we've found those two who overloaded the transporter two months ago."

"That is good news Doctor," the professor said emotionlessly, "Send out the Ghosts, I want these two alive, the Transporter was drawn to them for some reason and had trouble bringing them here, I want to know why,"

"Of course sir,"

* * *

><p>"Alright," George said, "This is some Salarian fish stuff, it's kind of like tuna," He emptied the can onto a small plate on the floor, Squid looked at him curiously before sniffing the fish chunks, she reeled back in disgust, a surprising feat for a rat. "You're right; I lied when I said it was like tuna, it's terrible."<p>

George then turned to the side a picked up another tin before peeling of the top. "This is real English Corn Beef; I don't know why I'm feeding it to you because it's the only real beef I've found." Again Squid sniffed it before backing away and looking back up at George, "No? Well, all the more for me then."

"Now this is highly expensive canned Asari… stuff," George said as he emptied the third thin, Squid's purple snout sniffed at the green past before diving in.

"Squeak!"

"Oh, so you like that then, typical." George sighed, "God I miss food so much, roast beef with potatoes and Yorkshire puddings, fresh battered cod with thick and crispy chips, bacon and egg butties, Cornish pasties, pies, gherkins, and pretty much anything my dad cooked, he could give Gordon Ramsay or Jamie Oliver a run for their money any day..."

"What are you doing?"

George turned in surprise to see Eleanor standing in his kitchen with a highly quizzical and somewhat worried look. "E-Eleanor, what are you doing here? How did you get in?"

"Helen let me in," She replied, "So you were telling the truth about the squid thing."

"Yeah, I'm kind of…"

"Feeding it and discussing some very… interesting foods with it," Eleanor finished in a sarcastic tone, "I've never seen that,"

"Never had I before I arrived here,"

"No not the squid. I mean seeing someone feed a squid a three course meal of fish, beef and caviar."

"This stuff's caviar?" George said as he examined the tin, even though he could read all the languages on it not once did he see the word, just an Asari word that he translated as 'Bounty of the Deep'.

"Well that is the nearest to it as far as I know,"

George shook his head, stood and turned to Eleanor, "So is there a reason why you decided to drop by?"

"What, would you prefer that I didn't," She said with a hurt look,

"No, no of cause not, you're welcome here anytime," George blurted out.

"Well good," Eleanor chuckle, "But yes I did have a reason to stop by. Someone told me that you had recently had your twentieth birthday but got nothing, not one gift, no party, nothing. So Helen and I decided to fix that," Helen then rounded the corner with a large gift wrapped box and placed it up on the counter.

"Happy birthday," they said in unison.

George was near speechless, it was true that for the first time in his life he completely ignored his birthday, also the thought of being technically 188 years old wasn't too appealing to him.

"Well open it then!" Helen said.

George nodded as he peeled off the paper and opened the large box beneath. Inside he found an assortment of art supplies, a sketch pad and digital design software and hardware.

"T-Thank you, I don't know what to say but thank you, both of you,"

"Helen told me how much you liked that stuff," Eleanor said, "I'm glad you like it as it cost a lot,"

"I helped and not just for your birthday, it's a late Christmas present too," Helen said.

"Thank you two, again," George said as he looked though the items.

"I know how hard it can be to move to an entirely new world, you needed something nice for yourself," Eleanor said with another one of her kind smiles, George couldn't help thinking how right she was.

Eleanor stayed afterwards as they ordered Pizza and sat to watch a movie, the fully remastered director's cut of the 170 year old hit film The Hobbit. Eleanor had heard of these, what she called classic films and was just as amazed as the George and Helen.

"Thank you again," George said as Eleanor stepped out the door

"You're welcome, but remember that Helen paid for half of that stuff." Eleanor said with a smile and a slight yawn.

"Well good night then and I'll see you at work tomorrow," George said.

"Maybe, or I may just blame you for getting me interested in two hundred year old films," She replied with a sly smile and a chuckle, "Thank you for the food then, good night."

George replied the same as Eleanor left. He closed and locked the door before turning to see Helen standing there with a sly look.

"You should have kissed her,"

"What?" George said, shocked doesn't begin to explain the tone of the what.

"It's so obvious you like her and she likes you, you should have kissed her," Helen said.

"Look… we're just friends and even that's risking it. The less of an attachment we have here the better when we find a way home." George said as he walked towards his room.

"I know that," Helen sighed, "Still you should ha…"

"Isn't it you're bed time? And also where did you get the money to pay for half those presents?" George asked.

"Oh is that the time, I should be going to bed." Helen quickly said as she darted in her room and locked the door behind.

George shook his head and turned to the box of presents that was sitting on his desk. He looked inside and even his inexperience with this time period he could tell that the cost was high. It was the most expensive, and only gift Helen had ever given him and Eleanor also did this for him. Why him? what made in deserve this? He sighed again but smiled as his mind argued with itself over Eleanor, her intentions, what would happen when they get home and if that was even possible. He sighed and again shook his head clear and began to settle into bed. Why could his life never be simple?

* * *

><p>"These are your targets," Alexis said as he showed two pictures of George and Helen to a room of four men who looked as if they wouldn't hesitate to kill you if you so much as walked past them. "Their names are George and Helen Williams, all the data we have on them is being downloaded to your neural implants now."<p>

The men all twisted their heads as if they were looking at something that only they could see before nodding and turning back to Alexis, "Remember they are wanted alive and unharmed, you'll have access to our complete arsenal and support to get them. These two somehow affected the transporter. It's possible that they may hold the key to getting home to our own time, to our families. I know you're all aware of how history played out here, we lost the war, but with what we've learnt here we can win in our own universe, that was our goal and we shall succeed."

There was a cry of agreement from the Ghosts.

"Hauptsturmführer Frost, over to you," Alexis nodded, the Captain of the group stood and turned to his men. He was tall and strong, strong enough to beat a Thresher Maws with is bare hands, his hair was blond and his eyes glowed a cybernetic blue.

Frost began to speak of his plan; the rest of his team listened and offered suggestions. Wolf was the second in command, he was smaller in physique to Frost yet made up with it in skill, he was the best marksman of the group. Next was Cobra, the master of stealth, then there was Fox, he was the smallest of the lot yet could out run, jump and otherwise out manoeuvre anyone.

Each was highly skilled before but now thanks to five years of research into biological and cybernetic modification they were a force to be reckoned with.

Then there was there equipment. It was a combination of reversed engineered and improved technology from many different universes. For this mission they wore civilian clothes over a stab and shock absorbing skintight suit. A high powered shield generator was strapped to their belts; unlike kinetic barriers of this universe these shields were capable of blocking both projectiles and energy weapons.

Next was their side arms, a Zat-2180, it was made from three segments of black composite metals and plastics and folded up when not in uses, when in use it folded into a Z like shape that fired energy bursts that were strong enough to knock unconscious most creatures up to the size of an Elcor or Krogan. A second blast within a variable amount of time would kill and three rapid blasts are able to disintegrate items below a certain mass. Of course they would only use the weapon once on their targets, twice on anyone who got in their way.

They didn't expect any difficulties but they carried backup weapons just in case, an ScMP-80, a rail-machine pistol, a hybrid of many different technologies. They were small and light enough to conceal yet use an rail gun system to fire super-heated sub atomic particles that breakdown to form projectile plasma capable of breaking though any form of personal kinetic barriers and armour in this universe. It had a rate of fire of 500 rounds per minute, a pulse magazine capable of 200 to 275 rounds and an effective range of 200 meters. It was designated as a Personal Defence Weapon however it is affectionately known as a Personal Overkill Weapon.

Finally they had specially designed omni-tools and implants that would help them through almost any situation from getting past C-Sec, finding their targets, hacking, escaping, stealth and much more.

Finally they entered one of the base's hangers, inside was a civilian ship, one that would not look out of place in any port in this galaxy, inside however it was drastically different. It was a full base fitted with equipment that would make a scientist drool and weapons that would make a Krogan cower in fear. It used a mass effect core so not to raise suspicions however it also was fitted with a zero-point energy generator with a hyperdrive capable of intergalactic travel within days and a stealth system that would make the still-in-construction Normandy look as if it had a large flashing sign saying here we are.

Frost walked into the cockpit where two pilots sat preparing for take-off. The fact that they were identical was not a coincidence; they were clones, grown and educated on the moon and conditioned to serve a nation's leader on a world they had never been to in a universe they had never known until their deaths.

"This is Eagle One to Overwatch, we're ready for take-off," The first pilot said.

"_Rodger that Eagle One, clear for take-off," _An identical voice replied.

"Get us to the Citadel Oberleutnant, fast," Frost said. The pilot nodded as the docking clamps were released and he gently lifted the ship up and out of the hanger into the dark sky above the barren and rocky world. He turned to the course and taped away at the holographic panel.

"Eagle One to Overwatch, requesting permeation to bypass relay system and engage hyper jump to safe distance from Citadel over,"

"_Affirmative Eagle One, uploading safe-zone coordinates,"_

"Coordinates set; charging hyperdrive to recommended levels, levels set, Green lights across the board, opening hyperspace window,"

The darkness of space before them turned a milky blue and purple. The cloud shimmered and gleamed as the ship silently glided into its vortex and immediately disappeared in a flash of light.


	4. Frost Fall

Here's a new chapter for you.

Thank you again for the reviews. And please keep reviewing, I like to know what people think about my work.

I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think.

* * *

><p>Helen made her way home after a day of school. She walked with Athina a young Asari; she was roughly the Asari equivalent of 15 and Helen's new best friend. They were similar in the way that they had both recently arrived on the Citadel form their respective homeworlds, although Helen left out the fact that her Earth was 171 years ago and in an alternate universe.<p>

It had been a normal day as far as Helen was concerned, even if her ideas of normality had drastically changed over the last two months. Still sometimes she finds herself amazed by everyday items in this new world of theirs.

"So do you want to come in?" Helen asked as she reached the large doors to her apartment block's lobby.

Athina's answer was glum at best; "No, sorry, my Mother wants me home tonight. I've got to meet her new girlfriend,"

"Girlfriend!" Helen exclaimed before suddenly remembering an important fact about the Asari, "Oh… wait, mono-gendered sorry," said, mildly embarrassed.

"It's ok, I was surprised too." Athina chuckled. "I find it weird that you humans have two genders. My father was a male Salarian, my sister's a Turian, also male and now she's dating another Turian, this time a woman! At least it's better than a Krogan." They both shared a laugh at the joke and received a frowning glare form a passing krogan.

"Well then, good luck and I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Helen said.

"Yeah, see ya," Athina replied as she turned and continued walking down the Citadel street and disappeared down a flight of stairs.

Helen entered the lobby and walked towards the lift in the far wall. The sounds of a Citadel news broadcast gently guided over the air form the desk where something odd caught her attention. Lamtenor, the Turian doorman was missing from his usual seat. She couldn't remember a time when the elderly Turian hadn't been there; in fact she often thought that he slept at this desk. Helen shrugged and thought nothing of it as she approached the lift.

The biometric scanners recognized her and opened the doors.

She froze.

She stared into the deep cybernetic eyes of the large man standing in the lift.

He rose as Z shaped object in his right hand. Helen didn't have time to react.

There was the sound of an electronic blast and a reverberating ping as a blue bolt of light shot towards her.

The man remained emotionless as agony stabbed into her chest and sliced though her body.

She gasped in crippling pain as the world went dark and she collapsed into set of iron rod like arms behind her.

Then there was nothing.

"_Frost, it's Wolf, we've got the girl."_

* * *

><p>It was nearing the end of another day on the Citadel. George and Eleanor were in the back of Wilkinson's Electronics sorting and storing the newly delivered stock. The Volus who delivered them as always was less than helpful as he dumped the creates in an alleyway just outside the rear of the store and leaving George and Eleanor to pick up the boxes of Omni-tools, Omni-gel converters and pretty much everything else that could have the prefix omni before sorting them, labelling them, registering them and finally placing them one the shelves.<p>

Meanwhile out the front Henry was watching over his store when two men entered. One was a large man with arms like tree trunks, blond hair and cybernetic blue eyes. There was something about him that put Henry on edge. The other was smaller yet sly looking, he had black hair and cybernetic hazel eyes.

Henry cleared his thought and asked; "Can I help you two?"

"Yes," The first man said in a deep southern German accent. "Does a George Williams work here? We're… old friends of his."

Henry didn't trust these two, his gut told him so, he always trusted his guts. "No," he said, "He's not here now, I'm sorry."

"Well then, can you tell us where he may be?" The first man said, pronouncing his Ws as Vs. Henry was well aware of the other man moving along the side of the counter, his cybernetic eyes drifted form the items around but his attention was firmly fixed on Henry.

"No, I'm sorry I don't." Henry answered.

Out back however George and Eleanor had finished shifting the new stock.

"I'm Glad that's over with," Eleanor said with a sigh of relief. George however was nearing the door to the front of the store when his ears picked up the conversation (which also surprised him since there was a large metal wall and door in the way). _'Why would there be anyone looking for me?'_ He thought.

"So George, I was wondering… Well if you wanted to do something after work, you know, like-"

"Shush!" George hissed as he raised a hand to stop Eleanor and before she could question he whispered, "Listen."

"We know he's here, please get him." The first man said, his voice was far from polite.

George peeked around the corner of the door into the store. He let his Eagle Vision take over and sure enough the man Henry was talking to glowed a bright red, he ducked back quickly.

"Your father's in danger." He whispered.

"What?" Eleanor hissed back in shock.

"Mr Wilkinson, this is your last chance give us George Williams or we'll have to get him ourselves." The first man said darkly.

"Was that a threat?" Henry asked.

George froze. He didn't know what to do. Those two men in there were dangerous and hostile for sure. He wasn't going out there no matter how much he wanted answers to who they were. But he couldn't let Henry or Eleanor come to harm.

"Yes." The first man replied. There was the sound of weapons unfolding and Henry let out an oomph as the sound of a hard object hitting flesh filed George and Eleanor's ears. Eleanor gasped as the first man called out, "I know you're back their Mr Williams! Come out now and we will let this man live! You have until the count of five. Five."

George was frozen; In Eleanor shock had begun to turn to panic. "What do we do? You've got to stop them! I'll not lose him too, nor you!" She rapidly said.

"_Three."_

George closed his eyes, took a deep breath and though 'I hope I know what I'm doing' before turning out into the store. "I'm here. What do you want?" He said as he faced down the large man who held a somewhat familiar Z shaped weapon. Another man held the same weapon and pointed it at Henry who lay on the floor with a bleeding wound on his head.

"Dad!" Eleanor cried as she saw the sight. She wanted to rush forwards to him but George held her back behind.

"Ah there you are." Frost said his voice was cold and rang with malevolence as he lowered his Z-shaped weapon to George and Eleanor. George froze, his mind said run yet his legs were still frozen in fear. In the deepest corners of his mind new instincts took over as he quickly formulated a plan to escape. That plan never happed though what did happen next was one of the fastest things he ever saw.

Henry seeing the weapon now pointed at George and more importantly his daughter suddenly leapt from the floor and slammed up Frost's weapon. It fired an electrical blast into the ceiling as Henry proceeded to punch Frost and turned to the two, "RUN!" he cried. The fight wasn't long though. Frost smashed down Henry's arm with snapped. Cobra took this opportunity to fire three shots of his Zat into Henry.

Henry didn't have time to scream as he disappeared in a cloud smoke and ash, not even his shoes remained.

"NOOO!" A suddenly enraged and distraught Eleanor screamed.

George was shocked beyond belief. His mind didn't even have time to register the situation as he turned and ran, grabbing Eleanor by her arm and throwing themselves into the back of the store as electronic blasts skimmed passed.

"C'mon! We've got to go!" George cried as he pulled Eleanor towards the back door.

"NO! MY DAD!" She screamed with tearful eyes as she staged, torn between running away and wanting to fight. George kept a firm grip on her arm as he continued to pull her away.

"If you stay you die!" George screamed as he dived though the store's loading bay into the narrow alleyway, "That would be the last thing he would have wanted!"

George ran down the alleyway, his had still firmly grasped Eleanor's arm as Frost and Cobra exited behind them and continued to fire.

The two ducked behind a parked truck as the electronic blasts whizzed closely by. George's mind was in a state of adrenalin endued overdrive as he scanned the alley for an escape. Frost and Cobra were closing in, above was a small, unreachable walkway and the top of the alley opened onto a busy traffic lane, at the far end was a door the streets but there was no cover between them and their, their only hope of escape was on door in a small wall cavity nearby that led into another shop, he just hoped it wasn't locked.

"Follow me!" George said as he leapt up and dived into the cavity. The door opened and George fell through with Eleanor and a couple near misses from the Ghost's weapons closely following.

"Call C-Sec!" George said to a startled Salarian as he and Eleanor ran through and into the store's front, hopping over the counter by an alarmed Asari and out onto a busy Citadel street.

"Which way!" Eleanor whimpered between gasps of breathless emotional agony.

George didn't think he just ran with Eleanor further into the crowds. They kept running, not caring where they went just so long as they lost whoever those two where. They run up a few levels and along different streets. George's lungs were burning for oxygen as the ducked into a secluded side street yet Eleanor was the first to stop.

"Wait! George… I…" She began to say as she rested her hands on her knees and panted for air, the pants soon began to turn to chocks and sobs as it dawned on her what had just transpired. "No... No, NO! Oh God no!" She screamed between weeping gasps.

Eleanor crumpled to her knees as overwhelming grief and heart stopping anguish flowed through her as if her blood had turned to cold poison. "Dad… No… Please no…" She wept as her body contorted into a tight, shivering ball.

Realization too began to sink into George. An onslaught of new questions flooded into his mind. Who were they? Why were they looking for him? Why did they want to kill him? And why were those weapons they held seem so familiar? He was sure they didn't exist at all in Mass Effect.

All those questions could wait however. The images of Henry's death speeded before him again. One second he was there, then a flash, and then he wasn't. Henry, a man he knew, someone who less than an hour ago he had been talking to, the father of the only person whom he saw as his closest friend since being taken here. Now she was in a state of pure unbridled grief and misery that he had never seen before outside of films or games, even if this was once a game.

He didn't know what to do. He had to comfort her in some way, his mind raced to think of what to do, he remembered Tali's loyalty mission and that gave him an idea, he just hoped it would work.

George kneeled down to Eleanor's side and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, listen… I… I don't know what to say but I'm here Eleanor," George said in a soft voice. Eleanor responded by wrapping her arms around George and continuing to weep into his neck, George was startled by her chocking grasp but gingerly he eased his arms around her in return.

"Why?" Eleanor said between gasps, her voice was no more than a pained whisper, "Why him?... Mum, Shawn, Cass… now Dad! It's not fair…"

"Life isn't fair Eleanor, trust me, I know," George replied even if he knew that coming into a different universe was nothing like what she is going through, "But I mean what I said, I'm here… I'll be here as long as you want."

"They wanted you…" She said eventually said as her grip around him loosened, "Why? Why?" She screamed as suddenly she pushed George away and looked up at him through anger filled tearstained eyes. "Why did they want you? Why did you lead them to us?"

Her words ripped into George as a torrent of guilt filled him, the same questions burst into his mind again. "Eleanor… I… Please believe me I don't know who they were or why they wanted me. I never wanted to see you or your dad hurt… I don't know, please... I just… I don't know."

Eleanor didn't answer she circled back into a ball, she stopped weeping yet fresh tears still formed in her eyes. George's eyes two began to water as a new question flowed into his mind,_ 'Did she really blame me for this?'_

"Is everything okay here?" A new voice said, George looked up to see two turian C-Sec officers approaching them. The one who spoke stepped into the light, he had simple blue face markings that covered only from behind and under his eyes and the bridge of his nose, an equally blue visor sat over his left eye, there was only one turian he remembered with those characteristics...

"I'm Officer Vakarian, are you two okay?"

George was stunned silent.

* * *

><p>Frost and Cobra burst out of the store and onto the street. They looked left and right for their target yet he had disappeared into the crowds of aliens and humans.<p>

"They couldn't have got far!" Cobra said as he looked around.

"Wolf, what's your status?" Frost said into his radio.

"_We're almost back at the ship, the girl's still asleep." _Wolf's gruff voice replayed.

"Lock her up and get back here to help us. This kid's fast. Frost Out."

Cobra bent down to the ground and with a mental command his cybernetic eyes switched his vision. All around him the world was scanned highlighting every hidden detail, "Why does the citadel have to be so clean, I can barely make out these footprints," He muttered as he attempted to make out the freshest pairs of the dimly yellow highlighted footprints.

"It wouldn't work, not with this many people," Frost grimly said, "They couldn't have got far. Its times like this I wish these boys in the lab created a working AI, one of those would be able to track them in this."

"I say we go left." Cobra said. Frost nearly nodded as the two set off down the street. The crowds parted before them as the searched round for any sing of their target, "Say you remember four years ago when that super-solder came through the transporter with that AI?" Cobra asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Frost answered as he indicated for them to move up a set of stairs.

"If we had that one of those AIs on our side then everything will be easier, not just tracking."

"She… It went insane after we killed the big green guy it was plugged into."

"I know but I was talking to one of the eggheads who tried working on her, and even they call it a her, and well he said that…"

"This isn't the time Cobra, keep your eyes open." Frost grumbled. He hadn't failed a mission yet and he wasn't about to fail to catch a kind half his age, the fact that the mission was half complete meant nothing to him.

"_Frost, its Wolf, come in,"_

"Wolf, this better be good news." Frost snarled as the stepped out on another even more crowded street.

"_We've locked the girl up safe and sound and on the way to your position now. Over."_

"Roger that Wolf," Frost said. He looked around again, they lost them and they had to rethink their strategy.

* * *

><p>Helen's mind slowly came aware of itself again. Its disordered pieces dragged themselves back together and probed her most recent memories. She remembered walking home and them a large man standing in a lift and them a flash and immense pain, the pain still stung in her chest. She hissed as she noticed the silence around her. It wasn't a soothing silence it was the kind of silence that hung around when a predator was about to strike. It felt like she was lying on a cold metal floor, almost as cold and as smooth as ice.<p>

She slowly let her eyes drift open. The first thing she saw was her left arm still clad in her purple jacket. At least she was in one piece she thought. She lifted her head and as far as her eyes could see was nothing but whiteness. Helen blinked, the whiteness did not go on for infinity instead it was a pure white wall perfectly joined with the floor without any sign of a seam.

She rolled over onto her back and immediately squinted at the white light that relentlessly poured down form the celling. Slowly Helen sat up and again looked around at all sides. Every wall was as white as the floor and ceiling and each was joined to the others without a seam. There wasn't even any sign of a door.

Panic began to sink in. She breathed rapidly as she skimmed her hands over the wall looking for anything the felt like a door. Suddenly she stopped breathing as a thought occurred to her, if there was no door than how much air did she have? It didn't help to calm her it only made her panic worsen.

Her hands continued patting along the walls in desperation. She felt nothing put smooth cold strange metal. _'Where's the door?' _Her panicked mind cried, _'There's got to be one! How did I get in here? Where am I?' _Suddenly her hand brushed over a spot in the wall that lit up from beneath. There was a hissing shrouds as a white thin rectangular outline appeared on the wall and with a swoosh that part of the wall slid out revelling what looked very much like a bed.

"_You won't be needing that," _a voice said startling Helen, she turned around to see a holographic screen on the opposite wall. Their she saw a man with sandy blond hair sitting behind a desk, he wore a grey uniform under a white lab coat,_ "The journey back to our base will only be just over an hour or two, it depends on how long your brother can hide,"_

"Who are you? Where am I?" Helen screamed.

"_I'm Doctor Alexis Muller of the Dimensional Commanded and Temporal Research Division of the __Protection Squadron_ _from the Greater German Realm of my planet Earth, Universe AAA-0001/A-1943. You are now my prisoner and I do hope that you or your brother can help us understand a small problem we've had."_

"Where's George? What have you done with him?" Helen cried. Fear, dread and anger coursed thought her as she stared into the cold holographic eyes of this man.

"_From what I've been told your brother has escaped, but don't worry we'll find him. Now if you don't mind I'd like to start the interview, please take a seat on that bed and we shall begin."_

* * *

><p>George's eye twitched as he stared up at the previously fictional character, well he knew that he relay existed here, he'd seen him on the news, but there was <em>thee<em> Garrus Vakarian standing in front of him.

"Well if we're interrupting we'll just be off…" Garrus said as he was about to turn away.

"Wait!" George called out, "We need help. There are these two people chasing us, they want to kill us or something, they've already… already…" George didn't want to say the words as he looked towards Eleanor who still sat, hugging her legs to her chest.

"Murdered my father..." She said with a whispered sob.

George found himself moving towards her again only for Eleanor to turn her head away from him. George stopped and slowly moved back as guilt seeped into him, Eleanor's father was dead all because of him. Why? He didn't even know who they were or why anyone would want him dead and they were willing to kill Eleanor and Henry to get to him… "Helen!"

"I'm sorry, what?" A confused Garrus asked.

"Helen, my sister, if they came after us then what's to stop them going after here?" George said in panic as he stumbled to his feet.

"He's right; we've got to see if she's okay!" Eleanor suddenly agreed as she too stood wiping the tears from her eyes, still she refused to look at George.

"Well if you're sure, do you know where she is?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah, she should be home or with her friends," George said as he brought up his Omni-tool and attempted to contact Helen, "She's not responding," George said, his voice full of worry.

"Where do you live?" The other officer asked.

"5 Canno heights, Level 35, Syeas Tower." George said.

"Millius, call the station and get them to send someone over," Garrus said to the other officer, "Sir, ma'am, I think it would be best if you come with us back to the station."

"No, my sister…"

"Sir I'm sorry but I relay think it's best if you come with us, we need to take a statement, you claim to be in danger and you say that someone was mur…" Garrus didn't say the words as another sob escaped Eleanor.

"If we must, but please you've got to find her," George finally said, he knew it was useless to protest.

"Look, just relax, C-Sec isn't all that bad, we'll find her." Garrus said reassuringly. George knew that he could trust him; he just hoped he was right.

* * *

><p>Three hours! For three hours George had been pacing back and forth the C-Sec Academy's waiting room. After interviews, and statements he'd still received no word on Helen and still she wouldn't answer her Omni-tool. Eleanor had it worse; she too had to make a statement and went through a short counselling session, now she sat in the waiting room staring blankly into her now cold cup of coffee.<p>

"How long does it take?" George exclaimed in anxious frustration as he continued pacing.

"Don't worry George..." Eleanor said in a week voice, it was the first thing she said to him since she yelled at him in the alley, "I'm sure she's okay."

"I hope so Eleanor. God I hope so," George said as he continued pacing.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor soon." Eleanor said with a small smirk that rapidly faded followed by a sigh.

George stopped and also sighed. He stood there with is eyes closed trying to control the anxiety and fear for his sister that grasped on to every fibre of his being. He sighed again and sat down next to Eleanor holding his head in his hands.

"This is all my fault. I don't know how but it just is. They were after me and I put you all in danger and now… I never wanted this, I… I just wanted to protect her and find a way home." George said with a quiver of dismay, the hints of tears formed in his eyes.

"I don't blame you," Eleanor said with a gulp of sadness, "I believe you don't know them, but why, why did they want you?"

"I don't know, I don't know."

"Mr Williams, Miss Wilkinson," The calm voice of Garrus said as he approached with a data pad in his hand, "I have some good news and… some bad-"

"What's the bad news?" George suddenly demanded as he shot up from his seat.

Garrus recomposed himself before saying solemnly, "I'm sorry George, but your sister has been… kidnaped-"

"KIDNAPED! This is the Citadel! How could this have happed?" George said as he began pacing again.

"The good news…" Garrus said as, George was showing no signs of listening and Eleanor was just as worried. He repeated again louder, "The good news is that we've found their ship, officers are moving in now and we'll get her back for you, just calm down."

"Calm down! You haven't seen what they've done!" George said.

"I have seen the security footage form your store and your apartment's reception. Yes their weapons are like nothing we've ever seen before but that won't stop us from doing our job. Their ship is in lockdown with C-Sec ships blocking its hanger. We'll get your sister back." Garrus said in a reassuring voice. George could tell from his voice that Garrus hoped that his words would turn out true.

"I want to be there," George said.

"I'll come too." Eleanor added as she stood. Her expiration of grief had turned to one of tranquil anger, the kind of face someone would have when they care not what would happen so long as those who they wanted dead would die, probably horribly and with a lot of screaming. George couldn't tell whether he should be fearful of that expiration or fear for her wellbeing.

"Well if you're sure. I can get a patrol car and we'll be their within the hour." Garrus said as he turned and walked down the academy. George and Eleanor soon followed in silence.

"You don't have to do this," George eventually said as they sat in the back of a C-Sec Patrol Car cruising though the vacuum of space.

"I'm not doing it for you, I just one to see those bastards get caught… or die. Also to see that Helen makes it out okay." Eleanor said, her voice was full with spite and pure saddened anger, George was shocked in her change of tone normally she was so cheerful and happy. Yes she had just lost her father and sure he expected her to be full of grief and anger but the malevolence in her voice scared him more than when they were being chased, and he had never heard her sewer before!

"I hope she does," George agreed. He remained silent before sighing again, "Eleanor, listen, I… I'm sorry about what happened… But I honestly have no idea who…"

"Just forget it." Eleanor said emotionlessly as she stared though cold, misty, emotionless eyes out at the pasting Citadel lights.

George could only nod slowly as he too turned to his window and slightly prayed for help.

* * *

><p>The plump and balding Terra Firma representative opened the door to his small apartment. Inside was dark with only the seep of deep cool light though the windows. He switched on the lights as he placed his brief case on the kitchen counter and turned to the fridge with a relived sigh.<p>

He reached his arm out but froze before he grasped the handle. Something didn't feel right, something moved in the corner of his eye…

A large arm slammed into his neck and pinned him against the wall. He gasped for air as his eyes met a pair of cold and calculating blue cybernetic ones.

"We need your help Samuel." Frost said as he removed his arm form the short man's neck allowing him to cough and gasp for air.

"Captain Frost-"

"Hauptsturmführer, not Captain, It means Chief Assault Leader," Frost corrected with a snarling frown.

"Right, sorry Hauptsturmführer. What can I do to help?" Samuel weekly said, failing hide the quiver in his voice.

"Our ship is in lockdown. We have orders to leave but we cannot if we're still clamped to the station," Frost explained, Samuel looked over to his living area where the rest of Ghost squad sat.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but why can't you just blast… out…" Samuel stopped speaking as Frost glared down at him.

"We can't raise the ship's shield while in dock and the armour is still the same as the civilian ship. If we were to try well just tear the ship apart."

"Makes sense,"

"As much as I hate saying this we need your help, I know you have contacts who can release the lockdown."

"If you don't mind be asking but why can't you just unlock the ship-_Eck_!" Samuel once again found himself pinned to the wall with Frost's large hand wrapped around his neck.

"We have to be on the ship so we can leave immediately." Frost said as he released Samuel.

"Okay, okay, but what's in it for me?" Samuel asked.

"If you don't help I'll break your legs."

"Point taken,"

* * *

><p>Frost crouched in the shadows behind some shipping creates. The dock where their ship lay was up ahead behind a large amount of C-Sec officers and SWAT teams. Frost didn't think of how hopelessly outmatched C-Sec was as he drew his ScMP-80 from the folds of his cloths and pulled out the collapsible stock before attaching a holographic sight. He blinked and his cybernetic eyes turned into a head-up display allowing him to see his shield levels and a targeting reticule for his weapon. He looked over his shoulder to see Fox and Wolf having done the same.<p>

Frost turned back to look at the C-Sec officers who stood at the cordon around the dock. "Cobra, it's Frost, how's the diversion coming?" He said into his radio as he clicked off his weapon's safety.

"Everything's ready over here." A clocked Cobra whispered back though his radio. He had infiltrated the C-Sec cordon and planted several explosives around the area in order to create a diversion.

"Good, okay we go on my mark," Frost said, he heard the clicks of Fox and Wolf's safety's being disengaged behind him as well as the whirls of their weapon's rail gun systems powering up, "Mark."

Cobra clicked the detonator. Instantly many C-Sec officers, SWAT and shipping crates burst into fireballs as five explosions rocked the area. Frost hopped out of cover and brought his weapon to bear on the disorientated and shock officers. He and the others took aim and before the C-Sec officers at the cordon realized what was happening near light-speed shots of plasma burst thought them as if they were paper.

Inside the dock the remaining C-Sec officers and SWAT turned their weapons towards Frost and his men only to be hit from behind as Cobra decoked and provided suppressive fire. Their shields were less than useless against the Ghost's weapons, they might as well been wearing nothing.

Frost and his team advanced up the dock. They swept their weapons leaf, right, up and down and fired at any C-Sec officer they saw with near pinpoint accuracy. The moved onto the gangplank over the bodies of human, asari, turian and salarian officers and continued to move towards the ships airlock.

A Turian SWAT captain peeked out off cover and fired his Avenger assault rifle. Frost flinched and dived into cover as the rounds disintegrated into the shield around him. It didn't occur to him that his shields took next to no damage as he peeked out and fired back. The Turian's head turned into a blue mist as his corpse collapsed.

The Ghosts filed onto the ship as Frost ran into the cockpit. The two clone pilots were already powering up the systems as Frost hit his radio; "Samuel we're on bored, release us now!"

In his office Samuel panicked as he replied with a yes and turned to his console and continued to hack into C-Sec's systems. "Releasing ship now… I am getting played for this aren't I?"

Frost didn't answer as the clamps that held the ship in dock disengaged. The ship raised its shields and pulled out of the Citadel. The Officers on the C-Sec ship behind were demanding orders when the invisible light of lasers burned though the ship and detonated its mass effect core. The Ghost's ship silently banked around as it shimmered and disappeared from both sight and sensors, taking Helen with it.


	5. Revelations

Chapter 5. I've put a lot of effort into this one and I hope it shows. And I hope you agree.

Thank you for that one review for the last chapter.

Please review and tell me what you think as hits don't really show anything apart from someone clicked on your chapter. I want to know what you think of this. What's good, what needs improving, impotently do you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing.

I hope you do enjoy.

* * *

><p>The cries of the injured and dyeing filled the air as paramedics scurried around the bleeding and broken C-Sec officers around the dock. To say that George was in shock as he looked at the death and destruction around was a gross understatement. They had landed amongst the scene of ambulances and paramedics treating the wounds of the few C-Sec officers who were left alive, the others were being identified before having a whit sheets draped over their bodies. Around the edge of the dock reporters hung like vultures poised to snatch their next meal of news from the dyeing gasps of the officers. He and Eleanor had followed Garrus along the dock as he headed towards Executor Pallin and an assortment of other high ranking C-Sec officers.<p>

Eleanor looked around at the blood, the death, the dying. Her recent cold composure had already broken down but as she stood amongst the death, the blood, the screams of pain with the scent of lingering smoke in the air tears were brought to her eyes. These tears however were not just from the sights around; most of them were form the pain of long suppressed memories flashing before her eyes. She saw their dead faces, blank, emotionless, completely void of all life. The smells of the smoke brought her back to the time when she emerged into the ruined city by her father's side. Her father who was now gone. A gasping sob escaped her lips as she tried with all her might to shove the memories back into the deepest recesses of her mind. She didn't want to go back there, anywhere but there, her heart beat faster as she saw herself running for her life again.

"Eleanor? Eleanor, are you okay?" George asked as he thankfully snapped her back to the present. His face was full of concern as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "We can go if you want. I think we should leave anyway, this is for C-Sec." He said, George was close to being in hysteria at the fact that Helen was gone but he kept himself together for now, his panic wouldn't help. He himself was surprised about how well he was handling the situation.

"It… It… It's just like…" Eleanor said between chokes as she grabbed George's shirt and buried her head into his shoulder, "Please… I don't want to be here… I want to go."

"It's okay Eleanor, nothing will hurt you here. We'll leave and find somewhere to go. Just close your eyes and think of something happy until G… Officer Vakarian returns." George said in a reassuring tone and somewhat embraced as he awkwardly gave her a reassuring and comforting hug.

"I… I'm sorry…" Eleanor sniffed as she let go from George, "Here I am going on about myself whilst Helen has…"

"It's okay Eleanor, you lost your father, you've been though a lot today, we all have, you deserve to be grieving," George said, "I… I've got to stay calm, I've got to find Helen and rescue her. Being hysterical won't help that, but as I said before, I'm here for you."

"At least she's still alive… I hope," Eleanor weakly said.

George felt the emotions of panic, fear, dread and anger boil inside him yet he kept them down and continuing to simmer. It felt as if the weight of the Earth or even Jupiter was dropped on his shoulders and Atlas was nowhere to be found. He couldn't just sit here, he had to do something. Perhaps he could track them, he thought of what to do, he knew it was a risk but maybe if he found a representative of the Shadow Broker he may know something. Maybe he could use his newfound eagle sense to track those who had attached him; they may have left some clues somewhere.

He drifted back form this thoughts as Garrus approached; "I'm sorry Mr Williams-"

"Please, just call me George,"

"All right, I'm sorry George. There was no way we could have anticipated this."

"I don't blame you or C-Sec G…Officer Vakarian," George said and mentally kicked himself for almost slipping up Garrus' name again, "I can't blame you for not trying to stop them, not with all this around." George gestured to the pile of body bags and the ambulances whilst paramedics rushed about with grim yet professional expressions to prove the point.

"Yeah, I knew some of these people," Garrus sighed, "Anyway I've been assigned to you and your case, but for now I think it's best if I escort you home."

"No, I-I don't want to be home alone," Eleanor said weakly.

"You can stay at my place tonight, if you want that is." George suggested. Eleanor gently nodded.

"Well that would be easier," Garrus said, "I'm required to stay with you in the event that they make a ransom demand. George, Eleanor, they are now C-Sec's most wanted, there is no way any Officer will let them get away with what they did here. They can't hide forever, we'll find them and bring them to justice, even the few law enforcers in the Terminus will be after them for what they did here."

"Thanks Officer. I just hope you're right." George said with a sigh.

"I don't need any thanks, I'm not just doing my job, they've murdered my friends and colleagues, not to mention that I have a sister and I would do anything to keep her safe so I know what you're going through. Oh, and call me Garrus."

* * *

><p>"<em>We have unconfirmed reports that at least twenty-five C-Sec Officers and SWAT specialists were killed in this shootout. Why this was such a disaster for C-Sec and even who they were against is still unknown…"<em>

George switched the vid screen off as he let back into an armchair with a sigh. He held his head in his left hand as his right rested on Squid who sat in his lap. Eleanor sat on the sofa to the side with a mug of what was hot chocolate however she seemed compiled to stare into its milky brownness rather than drink.

Nether spoke for what felt like hours. George kept replaying the day over and over again. It was late, he was tired, but sleeping was far from the last thing on his mind. Eleanor was the first to let out a saddened yawn.

"If you want to seep you can have my bed if you want. I just washed the sheets this morning." George said.

"No thanks, I don't feel like sleeping." Eleanor sighed she didn't even try to hide the tiredness in her voice. George looked into her face that hid vast amounts of sorrow yet in the pools of emerald green that were her eyes she couldn't hide the emotions that were pent up within. All this was his fault. They wanted him but why?

"I just don't understand why this happened," George eventually sighed, he had been thinking for too long and he had to share his thoughts with her, he just hoped that she wouldn't think he was insane. "It just doesn't make sense. None of this does. That weapon they had looked a lot like a Zat form Stargate, it even acted like one. It had the same sound…"

"George what are you talking about?" Eleanor asked.

George sighed again. "That weapon Eleanor, I've seen it before, in a hundred and eighty odd year old television show."

"What? Are you serious?"

George closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he hoped that what he was about to do was a good idea. "Eleanor, I have never lied to you about where I've come from. I was born and grew up in an English town on Earth. I just wasn't born on the same Earth as the one here."

"If you're trying to be funny you are far from it."

"Eleanor, what I am about to say is completely true, no matter how insane it sounds." George said as he shoved Squid form his lap and move to sit on the sofa next to Eleanor. "Eleanor, I was not born in the year 2162, I was born in the year 1992."

Eleanor sighed and looked away in disgust. "You're wrong, that is insane. So did you travel in time or are you eternally young?" She sarcastically asked.

"Eleanor it's true… I-I travelled here from the year two-thousand and eleven; I swear it's all true… I… I can prove it."

"Oh I would love to see that." She said in frustrated sarcasm.

"I'll be right back." George said as he stood and hurried into his room. Eleanor continued to sit alone in the living room.

'_How could George make something like that at this time,' _She thought but she let out a sigh as slight hit of curiosity crossed over her grieving mind. _'He wouldn't do this, he's not like that. What could George possibly show me that would make me believe that he's a time traveller?'_

"Here." George said as he sat back down next to her. He held a small black device with a silver lining around its rectangular side in his left hand. Eleanor looked at it closely as George handed it to her. She felt it in her hands and turned it over and examined every detail before raising an eyebrow at the silver half eaten apple logo on the back.

"Apple hasn't existed for thirty years! And I've never seen anything like this." Eleanor said.

"This is an Apple iPhone 4S, made in the year 2011." George explained. He gently moved his hands to press a small button on top and to Eleanor's surprise the simple screen turned on. George slid his finger along a bottom bar in a primitive way and opened up a somewhat familiar yet primitive interface.

"You think a working museum peace will make me believe…" Eleanor stumbled.

"No, it's what's on it that matters. Look at the photos." George said. Eleanor cautiously tapped the Photos icon and the screen changed again. "Now tell me, does that look like anywhere on Earth today?" George asked. Eleanor looked though the photos in widening disbelief. It was true; it was just like looking though a history book or a really old film. And some of them even had George and Helen in them!

"This is insane!" She said as she lifted herself from the seat and began to pace back and forth continuing to look though the pictures. "H-H… How's this possible?" She whispered in shocked disbelief.

"I wish I knew myself. Helen and I were at home and then the next second we were here on the Citadel." George sighed.

"No… No! It can't be true!" Eleanor said as she threw the phone at George, he stumbled to catch it in his hands. "This… this has to some trick!"

"You know it isn't, don't you." George said. It wasn't a question, he knew from the way she stood, the expressions of disbelief and hurt on her face and the same looks in those emerald eyes that she knew deep down that he was telling the truth. "I know how crazy it sounds but think how it was for me and Helen... You don't even need to do that, look around you, all this, everything in this galaxy was the stuff of science-fiction a hundred and fifty years ago. What's to say that time travel isn't possible?"

Eleanor slowly walked over and sat next to George before collapsing her head in her hands. "I-I'm sorry… This… this is just… unbelievable." She said.

"I know and I also know that this is a lot to tell you, especially today but I just couldn't keep it a secret any longer, especially after today… I trust you Eleanor and I couldn't bare lying to you."

The two sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Never moved and never wanted to be the first one to do so.

"So…" Eleanor eventually began in a week voice, "Are you suggesting that those… people came after you because you travelled though time?" From the tone of her voice it was obvious that she couldn't believe she was asking that question.

"That's what I've been thinking." George said, "I'm sorry Eleanor, this really was all my fault."

"No… No it wasn't. You couldn't have known." Eleanor said.

"Thank you for believing." George said as he allowed a small smile on his lips.

"I haven't said I believe you yet." Eleanor said with a stern look.

George sighed, "That makes what I have to say next even harder." He said as he looked at Eleanor with a serious yet sympatric expression, "Eleanor, I didn't just travel in time… I'm also from a different universe."

"Now that's just pushing it." Eleanor frowned.

"I'm serious." George said, Eleanor only needed to see his expression to know he was.

"B-But how do you know… If you're from the past then how do you know that this is a different universe? How's that even possible?"

"Because Eleanor. And before I say so I just what you to know that this, here is completely real and you really do exist. Eleanor, I come from a universe where this universe around us is a work of fiction. It is a video game."

"No, that's just not possible…"

"Eleanor. You know when someone plays a character in a film, then that character is then real in the sense that if that film was reality then they would be the character, and that the film and the actors in it wouldn't exist in their universe. Look back at my Phone, see that game there. Mass Effect Galaxy. A game of the universe we are currently in. It's a game of this universe's future. Tell me, who would make a game like that? Especially for an antique device and fake with exact details all the logos and legal information?"

Eleanor was understandably speechless as she looked at the game's main menu. Her mind was still processing what George had just said and to be honest she had no idea what he was talking about only that this was serious and he was proving that he really was what he said.

"That's not all, there's even a trailer for the second game in the series that takes place roughly three years from now." Garage said as he taped the screen and then played the trailer. Eleanor watched with a look of tired and shocked disbelief.

"I-I feel like I want to faint," Eleanor eventually said as the phone trembled in her hands, "If… If what you say is true then… then what does that make my life? A series of lies? A work of fiction made in the mind of some bored teen?"

"No Eleanor. You are real. This is all real. Everyone here is real. All you thought's, your feelings, your memories, they are all real." George reassured her, he found himself having taken a hold of both her trembling hands and the phone grasped within them.

"I can't believe it. I-I don't want to believe it!"

George's cobalt coloured eyes stared into her red rimed and watered up emerald ones. "If someone was to tell me that this universe really existed back in my own I wouldn't believe it without proof." George slowly said. "Again, I'm sorry Eleanor. But those people who attacked us had weapons form an old sci-fi TV show called Stargate SG1. You even have it here."

George lowed her hands to her lap before letting go and raising his omni-tool to the Vid screen, it lit up with the very show in question and George selected an episode before fast forwarding to the moment he wanted.

"_This is a Goa'uld Zat'nik'tel. A weapon using a different form of energy, less powerful than that of a staff weapon. Less destructive, but still quite deadly." _The large African-American like character with a strange golden symbol on his head said as he explained a weapon that looked a lot like the one which they were being shot at with. George changed the scene to ones where it was in use and finally a scene of it being used to disintegrate a stack of creates. It was identical to the weapon they were running from.

"George… Are you suggesting that the people who are after you are from this TV show?" Eleanor eventually said almost as if she still didn't believe they were even having this conversation. Her face was one of mind numb disbelief.

"There's no one like them in the show but whoever they are I think they would know how or why Helen and I are her," George said, "Maybe they are after us because we are not meant to be here. Maybe for some reason they brought us here."

The two sat in silence for a while longer until another yawn form Eleanor broke it, "I hope that this has just been a really weird dream," She sighed, "Maybe… I just hope that if I close my eyes and go to sleep I'll wake up and everything will be normal. That this day would never have happed."

"I hope it would be," George sighed as he moved from the sofa to allow her to lie down. "The offer of a bed is still there, I don't mind sleeping out here."

"No thanks…" She half-heartedly murmured. George quickly left and returned half a minute later with a blanket that he cautiously laid over her, "Thank you…" She sleepily yawned.

"Good night Eleanor," George whispered as he sat quietly back down in the armchair.

"Good night… time traveller…"

George let a smile form on his lips as he lied back in the seat. He sat there is silence until he was sure that Eleanor was fast asleep. When the only sounds were the gentle near silent berths from the slumbering red hair woman did he let out a sigh of relief. That certainly went better than he hoped. He expected that she'd shout more, slap him or even storm out. Now his thoughts turned to Helen, he had to find her.

George stood from his seat and walked towards the apartment's door. He stopped at the last second and turned to Squid who sat looking up at him, "Look after her." George said as stepped out of his apartment and turned to a small recently placed camera focused on his door. He raised his omni-tool and called a number he was given; "Garrus, I need to speak to you… in privet."

"_Very well, I'll be up in a bit."_ Garrus replied from a nearby observation post.

"No, I'll meet you outside Eleanor's store." George said.

"_If you're sure then I guess I'll meet you there." _Garrus said in a curious voice.

* * *

><p>The store was closed down and the C-Sec investigators were long gone. There was no set night time in the wards yet it definitely felt like night. The street outside were only traversed by late night party goers and clubbers. The odd keeper gently moved by to some new area to maintain. George was still unnerved by the large mantis like creatures. He knew of what they rely were and there purpose, also who knew what was going on in that shell covered head of theirs. Their eyes were just so empty and worse of all they just blended into the background in his eagle sense; it was as if they didn't exist.<p>

George wanted in the shadows nearby the store until the Turian C-Sec officer arrived. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah well I'm not really supposed to leave your side," Garrus said, "So why are we here? This place has already been scoured for clues and so far there are no leads."

"Garrus as insane as this sounds I kind of have a sixth sense for tracking and clues." George said as he approached the store's door.

"Humans have six senses?" Garrus asked. George ignored his as he unlocked the door and stepped into the store. "You're not really supposed to be in there."

"That's why you are here. I am going to find my sister and I need your help." George said as he walked over to the counter. He closed his eyes and focused on the world around. He opened them to see the ghostly blue shadows of thousands of years of customers and shop assistants flow past him. His head pulsed with pain as he tried to focus more. He grasped his head, the pain was building but he couldn't stop, he just had to think, what happed hours ago? Soon the shades of the past came into focus, the saw C-Sec officers dusting for evidence, he saw his first day of work. He focused again, there, he saw them. Just as he and Eleanor started to run. The two ghosts leapt over the counter and their golden shades ran through the door leaving a glowing trail on the floor.

"Come on, follow me." George said as he walked around the counter and into the rear of the store. Garrus sighed and reluctantly followed.

The passed through the unchanged store room and then into the back alley. George followed the shades and watched as they fired on where he and Eleanor had taken cover behind a still parked truck. The scorch marks from the attack were visible on its blue paint. He then saw the shades pass thought the door that he and Eleanor had run into hours earlier. "They followed us though here."

"What are you planning to do? You said that you lost sight of them not soon after you went through this store." Garrus asked.

"I told you, I can track their movements,"

"If this was a barren uninhabited world I would believe you. How do you intend to track two people on the Citadel, even C-Sec is having a hard time shifting though surveillance footage for them, and we have VIs to do that."

"I told you Garrus, I have a sixth sense for these things. We need to get to the street on the other side." George said as he stared at the locked door.

"No, you are not going though there, you'll have to go around." Garrus said.

George looked to the door at the far end of the alleyway. He knew where it lead and it was a surprisingly long walk around to the other side. He looked up to the maintenance walkway above, there was a path through to the other side and he smiled as he saw a ladder that unfortunately was locked up from the ground.

"I have an Idea." George said as he found a part of clear wall. He focused and calculated the height to the platform above. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation, "Here it goes." He said, _'I hope it works,' _He thought.

George ran at the wall and leapt at its smooth surface; he pushed himself back and reached up as he passed under the outer side of the walkway. His right had missed yet he caught the walkway with his left and acting quickly swung his right hand up to grasp the first bar of the guardrail. "Give us a push would you." He hissed.

"What are you doing?" Garrus asked as he looked up at the straining George.

"Finding… a… shortcut." George said as he struggled to climb up the railing and over the side. He crashed to the walkway with an oomph and groan before standing up and unhooking the ladder. "Climb up."

"If I wasn't ordered to follow you I would be out of here." Garrus sighed as he reluctantly climbed up.

George passed through the narrow gap between the buildings and exited on a walkway overlooking the street. He looked down to see the golden shades of his targets turned to the left and run. "They went left," George said as he began following on the walkway.

"How can you tell? You better not be messing with me." Garrus said.

"I'm not, you can't see the things I can Garrus, I don't expect you to believe me just trust me." George said as he slid passed a near invisible Keeper who was busy messing with some wires.

"Why don't you just let C-Sec handle this?" Garrus asked.

George stopped and tuned to Garrus with a serious face. "Look, Helen is my sister and I will not just sit by and wait whilst she's being taken to God knows where. Tell me Garrus, what are the chances of finding her? This is a big galaxy Garrus, they could be anywhere. I can follow their movements though the Citadel so I am going to. They are bound to have met up somewhere and then you can help because you have more authority than me. Please Garrus, trust me, you are here because I need your help and I trust you."

"How do you know that you can trust me more than any other C-Sec officer?" Garrus asked.

"I have a sense for these things." George said, it's was true not only as he knew Garrus from the games but his eagle sense showed Garrus glowed a pure radiant blue.

"Fine, trust me if you want." Garrus said. "If you know what you're doing then lead on."

George nodded as he turned and continued to follow the golden shades from the walkway until they reached a staircase. George leaped over the edge onto a stack of creates and then down onto the Citadel floor. Garrus uneasily followed down as George followed the shades up into a new street.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Garrus asked.

George only nodded as he continued following shades.

"Okay," Garrus sighed, "But after this you're seeing a psychiatrist."

* * *

><p>It was another half an hour until George had followed the shades into a small alleyway. It was dark and lit only with a dim red light that shone form hidden sources. Crates were stacked around in a careless fashion as the laughter and the deep beat form a nearby club reverberated though. In the centre of the alleyway was a larger square area where the golden trails of the shades ended. George watched as two more golden shades entered from the other side. He recognized them form the security footage. These two were the ones who took Helen.<p>

"They met here." George said as he walked around the shades who had gathered in the centre. He didn't take his eyes of them as he studied every detail. To Garrus he just saw George observing thin air.

"How can you possibly… You know what, I'm not gonna asked." Garrus sighed. By now he was sure George was suffering from something. "George, why don't we just get you back to your apartment, there you can have a nice lie down and sleep."

"Has C-Sec found any leads on who unlocked the ship?" George asked having completely ignored Garrus' suggestion.

"Not yet," Garrus sighed again as he rubbed his weary brow plates and eyes. "Whoever it was they were good."

George nodded as he turned back to the shades. They were beginning to blur and fade as pain slowly edged into his mind. George hissed and clasped his head. He was straining his abilities and now the effects were showing. His mind told him to stop but still he didn't, he had to continue, he had to find Helen.

One of the shades, the leader, had raised his omni-tool. George focused his mind again in an attempt to read it. To his relief the ghost of a hologram came though clearly as his pained brain was begging for him to stop. He just had to read it, maybe it had a clue. It was a dossier written in German about someone named Samuel Lombardi. His image showed a stocky and plump bolding man and more importantly it listed his address and that he was an informant.

George crumpled to his knees as the world around returned to its normal colours. His gasped and yelped in pain as he clutched his head. Garrus had run to his side and looked at him with concern. A drop of blood seeped from George's right nostril as he looked back though blood shot eyes. His breaths were short, pained and wavering as he slid to the floor.

"Hang on I'm calling the medics." Garrus said as he brought up his omni-tool. George reached out and grasped his arm and pushed it down.

"No," He hissed, "Must follow clues,"

"There are no clues. I'm getting you to a doctor."

"No! Samuel Lombardi, 38 Eusivtu estate, Vehreko tower. Must find him. They were looking for him too. He was the informant." George hissed as he slowly sat up.

"George, lie back down, you're not going anywhere." Garrus said as he placed his three talon hand on George's chest in an attempt to stop him moving.

"I'm fine Garrus," George said with a stern glair. He continued to stand and wobbled on his feet as Garrus reluctantly supported him; "We need to find him,"

"How do you suddenly know of this?" Garrus sceptically asked, George noticed the turian's grasp on his arm tightening. He sighed.

"You haven't believed me so far Garrus. Why would you now?" George said.

Garrus stared at him for a few seconds that felt like an hour. Inside he was having a mental battle between logic and his gut feelings. His feelings won. Garrus sighed as he released George's arm, "Alright. We'll go there and then we will discuss this. You better be right."

* * *

><p>The apartment complex was just like any other middle income complex on the Citadel. It consisted of a smaller tower inside the main one much like George's. These ones however were less privet and smaller. Garrus and George enter the small entrance and into the donut shaped complex with a small garden in the centre. They passed through the 'ground' level apartments and entered a small elevator in the centre of the circle. George tapped the hologram for floor three and together they silently waited before emerging into a dim grey corridor that curved back around and behind them. A large purplish tree grew from the centre of the Garden and even here it still continued to tower up. George didn't take any notice however as he examined the apartment numbers, 35, 36, 37 and then finally 38.<p>

"So how are we going to do this?" George asked.

"What, you didn't plan that far ahead?" Garrus said with a slight sarcastic smirk. George only glared back. "Fine, follow my lead." Garrus sighed. He approached the locked door and brought up his omni-tool. He pressed some buttons and George watched in surprise at the sight of a more advanced version of the Mass Effect 1 hacking system. The door's lock turned green.

"You've got to teach me how to do that." George said.

"Officially I can't," Garrus said as he pulled up a pistol and stood to the side of the door. George moved to the opposite side. "But maybe in my time off." Garrus finished as he slammed the open button.

The doors opened with a swoosh and Garrus swiftly moved in scanning the corners for movement. George swiftly followed and using the most basic form of his eagle sense to scout the smallish apartment for any threats. It was small, smaller than the outside lead him to believe. Relay he would say it was a medium sized flat, nothing like his apartment.

There was a small kitchen that shared a room with a clean living area. There were two sofas around a small coffee table and a vid screen. The décor was a mixture of the standard citadel style with a poor attempt of a Mediterranean feel layered on. A large pot plant sat in the corner between a sofa and the windows that had white curtains strapped to the side. On the walls were two oil paintings of rolling hills, vineyards, olive trees, the cost and a traditional Italian village. Next to them were photographs of other earth scenes and above them all was an antique looking wooden figure of the Lord Jesus on the cross. It was obvious that whoever lived here didn't come here for the Citadel lifestyle.

A plate of half eaten pasta in a rich red source sat on the coffee table and a glass of red wine that was half empty sat to the side. The low drone of the Alliance News Network filled the room form the vid screen. George approached the food and gently hovered his hand over it. "It's still warm."

Suddenly his ears pricked to the sound of shuffling in the next room. He turned to the door to the left of the entrance and was about to warn Garrus when it slid open. Two gunshots rang out. George only was Garrus stumble back and fall over a sofa and onto the rugged floor. He didn't think as he turned back to the door. His grey eyes of anger and rage met the small deep set and terrified brown eyes of a plump bolding man holding a pistol in his shaking hands.

George leapt up and kept low and weaved in an arc before slamming up on the man's arms sending a shot destined for George into the ceiling. Quickly George lifted his right hand and punched him in the gut and winding the man before George pushed him back, twisting the arm which the gun and slamming it into the doorframe. The man gasped in pain as the pistol clattered to the floor. Finally he moved his other hand around to the man's back and forced him into a wall.

The man yelled in pain as he fell back to the floor clutching his nose as blood seeped through his fingers. George dived on him and grasped his suit on ever side of his neck.

"Are you Samuel Lombardi?" George yelled.

"My nose, you broke my nose!" The man wined.

George didn't care as he stood and stamped on the man's plump stomach winding him again. Panic and worry began to cross his mind as George turned back to the living room, "Garrus?" he called.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Garrus said as he stumbled up from behind the sofa. "Thank the Spirits for kinetic barriers."

Garrus holstered his pistol as he walked into the next room with George. It was a small office with an arrange of large terminals around a desk cluttered with data pads, OSDs and paper. The man, Samuel, George was sure of that now, was backing away along the floor still clutching his bloodied and broken nose.

"Don't think about getting away, I'll be glad to get you done for attempted murder of a C-Sec officer." Garrus said.

"You… You can't do anything to me _turian_," Samuel spat out the last word as if it was a curse, "I'm a Citizen of the European Union, a sovereign state of the Human Systems Alliance!"

"The Alliance is a Citadel member, you fall under our jurisdiction here and you can always be extradited." Garrus said in a matter-of-fact tome as he pulled out what appeared to be a set of energy handcuffs.

"Wait. First I want some answers." George said as he stepped closer and crouched to Samuel's eyelevel. "I know you're an informant for the people who attempted to kill me and kidnaped my sister so you're going to tell me everything you know."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Samuel said as Garrus moved forwards to cuff him. "Don't you dare touch me you dam dirty dino!"

"You have a lot of computers here," George said as he looked up at the large screens around. "I'm sure I'll be able to find something on them."

George stood and activated the panels and was met by a login screen, "Um… first you're going to tell me the password."

Samuel said nothing as Garrus sighed and brought up his omni-tool. A few seconds later George's omni-tool beeped and he opened it to see that Garrus had sent him a military grade hacking tool. "It's simple to use and comes with a manual..."

"Thanks Garrus." George said as he had already opened the tool and hacked though the first layer of security. It was remarkably simple and a strange mixture of the first game's hacking and the second's. A few seconds later there was a chime form the terminal as it opened to the desktop.

"Please don't-"

"Don't do what Samuel? Have you got something to hide?" George said as he opened files and folders and searched though their contents. "Ah-ha, what do we have here?" He opened two files and was greeted by dossiers on both him and Helen.

He began reading out loud, "'Name George Williams, age twenty, human, citizen of the United Kingdom and the Human Systems Alliance,' and an entire biography. I'd say that this is pretty conclusive proof that you had something to do with this."

"They'll kill me," Samuel whimpered. "You can't convict me. They'll stop and nothing to wipe all trace of my and their own existence,"

"We'll protect you," Garrus said.

"No, no one can. You saw what they did at the docks,"

"Who are they Samuel?" George asked.

Samuel looked at George with fearful eyes, "They… They aren't from this universe," He sighed.

"Now that's just complete-" Garrus began before George cut him off.

"Where are they from?" George asked.

"You don't seriously believe-"

"_Shush_!"

"They are from Earth but not our own, not even yours I think. That and they are form the past."

"George, what is he talking about?"

"When are they from Samuel?" George asked.

Samuel gulped and closed his eyes in mental anguish. "I signed a deal with them, agents of a human devil. We learnt about them in school, their crimes and how we must never allow it to happen again."

"Who are they?"

Samuel froze and finally gulped.

"Germany, 1943,"

George's eyes widened, "No, you can't be serious! How could they travel across dimension?"

"Can somebody please tell me what you're talking about?" Garrus asked in annoyance.

"I have files on them on my computer. Please I didn't want this you've got to help me!" Samuel said.

George stood and turned to the computer. He searched and found the files and rapidly opened them. What he saw was something that looked like it was form the game Wolfenstine or possibly Captain America. He read the opening out loud. "The SS Dimensional Commanded and Temporal Research Division, as appointed by the Führer Adolf Hitler and Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. Commanded by SS-Oberst-Gruppenführer Professor Richard Rask..."

"Care to explain what it means?" Garrus asked.

"It means Garrus that we've found who has taken Helen," George quietly said in shock. He continued reading in silence until he let a small grin cross his face, "And we've found the location of their main base."

"This is one of the strangest cases I've ever been a part of..."

George raised his omni-tool and began downloading the data from the consol. The organization, their location and… "What's that beeping?"

Everyone froze and listened. It was an electronic beeping sound that was increasing in frequency. "No… they didn't…" Samuel whimpered as George pulled out a nearby draw form a cabinet. His eyes widened at the sight of a large metal cylinder with a countdown timer.

"Oh Bugger!"

"Out!" Garrus called as he grabbed Samuel and wrestled him through the door. George sprinted out afterwards. There was a large deafening explosion and a shockwave that slammed into George. An intense wall of heat followed as the last thing he saw were the window and the large purple tree racing towards him.

* * *

><p>Helen sat in the corner of a small cold cell. It was basic and carved out of solid rock. The floor was laid with mettle and there was a basic bead strapped to it. On the opposite wall were a sink and basic toilet and finally a large solid door. She didn't know where she was or why she was here. That blond haired man, Doctor Alexis Muller, he had questioned her on the way to wherever her was. He asked about where she came from and how she got here. He knew she was from a different universe and was keenly interested in the story of how they travelled through several others before arriving here.<p>

After the questions the doors opened to revile a large savage man with cold blue electric cybernetic. He raised another Z shaped weapon and fired. This time when she awoke Helen had found herself in this cold and dark cell with nothing but her cloths, a green shirt and purple jacket with blue trousers.

She had no idea how long she had been there. There was nothing but the cold jagged stone walls. She wanted to get out, she wished that someone would come along and rescue here, she wished that George was here, he always had a plan. She knew that wherever he was he would be doing his best to find her. He'll never abandon her, would he?

She shook the thought out of her head, of course he was coming. It was just a matter of time, she just had to sit and wait, she hoped he wouldn't take too long.

The doors slid open. Helen cowed back into the corner in fright as two armed guards walked in. She didn't how to describe them but George would have described them as resembling Helghast solders form Killzone. In their hands they held what George would again describe as a bullpup version of a World War two Sturmgewehr 44 assault rifle. Helen however would have no idea what he was describing if she wasn't looking at it.

Behind them entered two more men, the first she recognized as Alexis the other however was different, his eyes cold grey-blue held little sense of morality and he had three scars down the left side of his face. He wore a black military uniform with a cap held under his right arm. On his left are however was something that maid Helen's eyes become wide open in surprise, a red armband with a black Swastika.

"Good morning Miss Williams," The man in black said, his tone was far from welcoming, "I am Professor Richard Rask, commander of this facility, you already know Doctor Muller here. All I wanted to say is this; we can make your life easy here if you just follow the Doctor's instructions and answer his questions... I do hope you prove to be useful otherwise we will find a use for you." He said grimly. It was the kind of tone that one would imagine death to sound like and it sent shivers thought Helen's body. The Professor turned and nodded to Alexis before placing his cap back on his head and leaving the cell.

Alexis turned back to Helen with a thoughtful look. "Take here to room 17B." He said. The guards moved forward to grab Helen. Resistance was less than futile.


	6. First Flight

Here is a new chapter. I hope I've done a good job.

Thank you for the reviews, favourites, alerts and support. Although more wouldn't hurt.

Enjoy and Review.

* * *

><p>The first thing George felt was a splitting headache that tortured his skull as if someone had driven a serrated blade or two into it, that and the fact that his body ached and stung all over. Slowly he let his heavy eyes drift open to see a dimly lit white ceiling. He groaned as he looked around to see himself in a small clean hospital room. He lay on a hospital bed with a door directly in front. A set of shelves were built into the wall the bed was up against with two bedside tables one of which had a clock hologram that said seven sixty-two galactic standard time.<p>

George moaned as he looked down to see his body crisscrossed with a series of medi-gel smears over the red marks of a spider web of cuts. Slowly and with a groan of pain he sat up and slid his legs off the edge of the bed. He clasped his head in his head in his hands as the stabbing headache continued. One question crossed his mind,_ 'What the hell happened?'_

He remembered in the flat of the informant Samuel. He had just discovered where Helen was allegedly taken when he found a bomb. Next was nothing but a blur of pain and heat. He remembered falling and shattering glass, but besides the already heeling cuts, his saw and aching body and this pounding headache he didn't seem to be any worse off.

The door slid open and George turned to see a turian in C-Sec uniform enter. "You're awake!"

"Yes, Garrus I am. How long was I out? What happened?" George groaned.

The C-Sec Officer sat in a chair opposite and gave a turian equivalent of a smirk. "You've been out for five hours, as for what happened… well, you were blown up."

"Not funny Garrus," George mumbled, "You don't have anything for a headache do you?"

Garrus pointed to a small selection of pills next to a glass of water on the bedside cabinet. George only nodded as he took them and swallowed each pill with a sip of water.

"I'm not joking George. The apartment blew up and you were sent through the window and crashed to the ground. The only thing that saved you was the fact that that large tree broke your fall. As to why you didn't break any bones, well… that has interested every doctor here."

"Why?" George asked as he felt his headache leaving, medicine really was better in the future.

"Well it seems, and I quote, your bones are reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fibre."

George stared dumbstruck at Garrus as if he had suddenly grown five heads and was wearing a pink tutu.

"Yeah that was almost everyone's reaction."

George just shook his head, _'Well it seems that I did get something from that Na'vi.' _He thought with a slight chuckle.

"What happened to Samuel?"

"He's been taken into custody," Garrus said, "As for that data you retrieved. It was incomplete and so impossible that it was simply dismissed."

"No it can't be. It's true!" George said as he stood and swayed before regaining his balance.

"George I understand you want your sister back but time travel? The Executor has personally dismissed it a fake."

"No, I… I've got to find her."

Garrus shook he head as he looked at him sternly. "George, I need to speak to you. What was Samuel on about? I'm not an expert on human body language but the way you reacted, you knew that what Samuel was saying was true. How? What does he mean you're not from this universe? How did you even find him?"

George let out a long sigh as he sat back down on the bed and held his head in his hands. _'Great, why did I have to get him of all people involved?' _George thought, he couldn't lie to Garrus neither could he tell him the truth.

"You wouldn't believe me." He sighed.

"Try me."

George sighed again; he hated the idea of sharing his past. His presence here has already messed up the time line. He almost got Garrus killed before he met Shepard. But what could he do, Garrus was smart, he could take it, couldn't he? There was only one way to get out of this. George just hoped that he was right. "Okay… Just promise me that what I say doesn't leave these four walls."

Garrus sat back and thought about this for a few seconds that felt like an hour, finally he nodded. "Okay, I won't speak of it to anyone."

"Right, okay, now where to start…"

"How about your so called 'tracking abilities'?"

"I gained these senses that no one else has. They allow me to see things that others can't and can alert me to dangerous individuals. Not only that but I can see these… ghost of people in the past. Nothing aware just a manifestation of their movements and actions. That's how I tracked them to Samuel's place."

Garrus sat in silence for a few minutes in deep thought. When he finally spoke his tone was highly sceptical, "Last month… the twenty sixth of December on your calendar I think. I was in this room with someone else who was attacked in the night by a bunch of drunks because of that holiday you humans have around then. Who was that person?"

"It's hard to see something specific. Tracking those two earlier was hard enough."

"But can you do it? Prove it to me."

George reluctantly sighed as he focused in his mind. He opened his eyes to see a ghost of an asari in the bed he still sat on, the holographic clock to the side had changed with the date shown in a ghostly white, December 26th 2181. "It was an Asari… Her left eye was black, a swollen lip, a cut down here right cheek…"

"Spirit's your right!"

George snapped back to reality and back to the shocked turian whose mandibles had dropped to the sides.

"Is that all? Can I go save my sister now?"

Garrus shook his head and recomposed himself, "What about the time and universe travel?"

"That's… complicated. I don't know what to say, I have no idea how I got here but I was hoping they have the answers I'm looking for."

"But you're from the past right?"

"Yes."

"This… I don't know what to say."

"Just promise me it won't affect anything." George said.

"How can it, there's no law against traveling though time and space."

'_You'd be surprised how many times the Doctor's got in trouble.'_ George wanted to say but only thought it with a smile.

"So… that data had the location of their main base. Where is it?" George asked.

"Their 'base' if it's really there is in a relatively unexplored area of the galaxy at the far edge of the Terminus Systems. As much as I hate to say it, they're unreachable to anything the Council and C-Sec has."

"For you maybe but I'm going." George said as he turned and stumbled towards the door.

"George, that's suicide. Even if you find a civilian ship capable of taking you there, there's little chance that you would be coming back."

George stopped and turned back to the turian. "I'm going Garrus. I'll find a way. I've got to try."

"Can you even fly a ship?" Garrus asked. George didn't respond, "I thought not. The pilot would have to be just as insane as you to get there. The chances of success are… less than slim, and that's being positive."

"Fine. Don't help me. I don't care Garrus." George snarled, "I have nothing. I was taken from my home with nothing but what I had on me and Helen, my sister who I promised to protect no matter what. I have lost my friends, my family, my life; she's all I have left, and I will reuse her and get the answers I need."

Garrus sighed. He knew that look George had on his face. It was one of unstoppable determination. It reminded Garrus of himself. "You're free to go, I wish you luck."

"Thank you," George whispered as he nodded and turned back to the door.

"But I suggest you put something other than a hospital gown on first," Garrus said. "I don't know human fashions of the past but that isn't one here."

George sighed and grumbled under his breath.

* * *

><p>George was exhausted. He stared out the side windows of the taxi as it cursed between the towers and lights that stood amongst the purple gasses of the Serpent Nebula illuminated by the dim and distant glow of the Widow star. Many other lights from cars and trucks glided past and swooped and swerved. After two months of being on the Citadel he was still amazed at the sites of the monumental structure where he lived but today it meant nothing as his head raced with thoughts and fears for Helen.<p>

Garrus had already made it clear that C-Sec can no longer help him and that even the turian himself cannot help George. He now found himself alone with one seemingly impossible goal. He had to somehow reach that moon around a planet in a near uncharted system light years from the nearest relay. He had to find a ship that would get him there and more importantly a pilot, then he had to rescue Helen from a top secret paramilitary division from an alternate universe. He would be lying it he said that the task didn't frighten him. He entered his apartment and limped over to the living area to find a lone blanket lying spiralled out not the floor. He suddenly remembered Eleanor, she was here last night, where was she now?

"Eleanor?"

He turned and looked around in worry. He moved from the living room though an archway into the kitchen/dining room where with relief he saw here sitting on a stool at the kitchen counter. Her head was rested in her arms on the counter as her red hair spiralled around. Squid was also lying in a purple ball to her side on the counter top. He hated it when that rodent did that.

George slowly limped over to her as sat on the stool next to her. Unsure of her condition or even if she was awake he gently reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder.

She shot up and looked at him though exhausted tear stand eyes behind a shroud of thin strands of crimson hair.

"Eleanor, it's okay, it's me." George said as he continued his reassuring grip on her shoulder.

She nodded as she looked down at the floor in sorrow.

"Are you ok?" George asked with concern. Again Eleanor weakly nodded and sniffed.

"Yeah, I am now. I couldn't sleep… I just kept having nightmares and when I work up and you were gone, I panicked but Squid here is surprisingly good company." She said with a half-smile as she raised her head and gently moved the strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear.

"I'm sorry but I couldn't just sleep or wait here whilst Helen had been taken." George said.

"It's okay," Eleanor said again, her voice was barely more than a whisper. She then noticed the faint marks of scratches and cuts on George's face and arms that continued under his shirt. "What happened?"

"I was blown up."

"What?"

"And then thrown through a window and falling three floors before landing in a flowerbed."

"Are you Okay? What where you doing?" Eleanor said in alarmed worry.

"I'm fine… well I'm as the sorest I've ever been in my life and it feels like I have an arrow in my right knee," George inwardly cringed at the reference, "but the doctors have said I could go. This was just a side effect of me discovering who took Helen."

"Who was it?"

George raised his omni-tool and slowly began to explain what had happened and who had attacked them. Eleanor just sat in silence the whole time and only nodded or shifted her expression between confusion, worry and disbelief.

"So do you believe me?" George eventually asked at the end.

"It doesn't make sense… I just don't know what to think," Eleanor sighed. "This is just so… bizarre. Time and universe travel, you being able to see the past, it all seems like some kind of bad Sci-Fi movie,"

"Hey where I'm from this was one of the greatest sci-fi games,"

"That doesn't make me feel any better." She said bitterly but with another small smile which George shared. "So… what now?" Eleanor asked.

George stopped smiling as a look of worry and dread poorly masked by one of determination came over his face. "I have to go after them. I have to save Helen. C-Sec won't help, their base is far from reach."

"Do you know how suicide that sounds?"

"I don't have much of a choice." George sighed.

"George, I understand you want to rescue Helen, just please don't do something as stupid as this." Eleanor pled.

"What am I to do? I can't just hire a mercenary army for this. I've got to do this, do you know anyone else who would do this for pay. I doubt I have enough left."

Eleanor sat quietly for a moment thinking of what George had said. "I'll go."

"What?"

"You can't do this alone and they murdered my father. You need all the help you can get, I'm going with you."

"No, Eleanor… I don't want to get you involved."

"I already am."

"Not like that… I don't want you to be in danger."

"Why?" Eleanor asked.

"Well… because you're a friend. A good friend. I don't want to see you hurt." George honestly said.

"And you think I don't feel the same?" Eleanor asked, "George, I haven't had a friend like you and even Helen for a long time… If you're going into hell for Helen, then I'm going with you, not just for Helen or you but I want to get back at them,"

"I'm not going to be able to talk you out of this am I?" George asked.

"Never am I going to be able to talk you out of this."

"Good point. Do you even know what to do?" George asked, "I don't know what we'll be facing and I don't know what to do. But you saw what they did to C-Sec."

"I know George… I've… I have used a gun before… Dad insisted I learned how to."

"That's good to know but we can't just fight them, we've got to somehow sneak in."

"Do you know how to do that?"

"I'm not sure yet… But I'm sure that some of these skills I've picked up will help."

"I hope your right." Eleanor sighed.

"But we'll also need gear, armour, weapons, supplies," George said.

"I'll pay for my stuff."

"No, I'll pay for all of it… I hope… There's a chance I'll never get to spend it again anyway." George grimly said. Never before had he felt so much dread at what was to come. "But first, what do you say about some breakfast?"

* * *

><p>Pretorian Arms and Armaments was the number one place on the Citadel for military grade and state of the art weaponry. Its large facade opened up onto the presidium at the opposite end of the ring from the embassies. What George couldn't help noticing as he approached with Eleanor was the large First Contact War era Alliance Main Battle Tank sat on a podium with one of the largest price tags he had ever seen.<p>

"It's nice, but I don't think it would be much use." Eleanor said. George reluctantly agreed. That thing made the Mako look like a golf cart with a BB gun duck taped to it.

That's when he began to think. This future is definitely futuristic but there are some times when it doesn't feel so, like technology has fallen short of what it should be. It's true that the basics of the galaxy's technology had remained almost unchanged for thousands of years proving that the Reaper's trap had worked. He had been reading the information he had gathered from Samuel's computers and what he saw from those assassins that they had sent after him and Helen this SS Dimensional Commanded and Temporal Research Division or SSDCTR was all about advance technology. He made a mantle note that whilst he was rescuing Helen he would also try to find anything of use and if he survived, he had to do something to help this galaxy. Not just to fight the reapers but to improve the lives of all races. After all where are the robots that can make him a cup of tea?

George pushed the thoughts from his mind as he looked over the gear and items for sale. He sighed at the fact that everything was almost identical except for some interior statistics. Still he continued looking as Eleanor followed closely.

"Can I help you?" A gruff turian voice said. George looked to see and elderly grey turian with blue face markings standing behind the counter that showed an array of sidearm, combat knives and other military grade equipment.

"Um… Yes. We're looking for some top of the line equipment. The best of the best." George said.

"Well there I can help you," The elderly turian said with a glint of liking in in eyes. "Here we have any weapon for any situation. Hunting large game to close quarter combat, what do you need?"

"Well we're in need something small and portable. Good for infiltration yet packs a large punch." George said.

"Ah, the heavy hitting assassin, I think I have just the thing for you to." The turian said with a smile that unnerved George. He waved them down the counter as George and Eleanor followed. They passed a krogan admiring a range of shotguns and a model of a turian gunship on a podium with a sixty million credit price tag. This was less of a gun store and more of an arms convention.

The turian stopped by a group of weapons that caught George's eye. They were a vast arrange of different weapons each of human origin. He recognised a variety of DLC weapons for the second game, the M-96 Mattock, M-12 Locust and the M-29 Incisor. Along with it were some new weapons he saw in pictures and trailers for the third game. Mosley however there were weapons that he had never seen before. The turian picked one off the wall and showed it to George. In George's opinion it looked like a cross between a G36K and a MTAR-21 Micro Tavor with a readout for heat sink temperature.

"This is a G155K, a human pre-relay 314 incident weapon. Now before you dismiss it this weapon is still superior to many weapons used in militaries today. It's small, compact, lightweight and packs a massive punch."

"So why isn't it used by the Alliance?" George asked.

"Well… that is because…" The turian stumbled of words before sighing and leaning forwards, "The Council forbids weapons like these in militaries. That and only a few hundred were ever made."

"I see." George said.

"There's a firing range if you want to try it."

George resisted the urge to squeal in delight.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe how good you were on that range." Eleanor said as she accompanied the still limping George out of the store.<p>

"Yeah… expensive though, can we sit for a moment." George hissed as he lowered himself onto a bench overlooking the presidium lakes and rubbed his aching shoulder. Healing wounds and repeated gunfire don't go well together.

"Are you sure that the doctors said you could leave?" Eleanor asked as she sat next to him.

"Yeah, I'm sure. The wounds should be fully healed by tomorrow."

Eleanor nodded and sat next to him in silence and looked out upon the still presidium waters. A minute or two passed before she broke the silence, "So where did you learn how to shoot like that?" She asked.

"I honestly don't know." George said. "I've only fired air rifles and shotguns before… and I was nowhere near an expert at that. You were also good with a pistol though."

"Yeah Dad thought it was a good idea for me to know how to use… one…" Eleanor stumbled at the last words as he lowered her head and closed her eyes beginning to water again.

"Eleanor… I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"No, no… it's… it's fine." She sniffed.

"No it's not. You should be mourning, not with me shopping for weapons."

"What's there to mourn?" Eleanor grimly singed, "There was nothing left… I've already spent years mourning … why mourn when I can get revenge."

"Eleanor I-"

"Don't try to talk me out of this again. I'm coming with you and I don't care what happens to me." Eleanor said as she lifted her head and forcefully held back the tears whilst wiping away the ones that did escape.

"Would your father really want you to do this? You his daughter, would he really want you to though your life away?"

"You make it sound like we won't be coming back."

George looked her in the eyes with a serious face, "Eleanor, I don't expect to come back. I have nothing left but Helen and no one but me will do anything to help her. If I don't try then what will I do? Just sit at home in comfort whist they do god knows what to her? I can't do that but I have no idea how I am going to save her. I expect that I won't succeed but all I can do is try."

Eleanor stared back for a while longer before sighing, "I know how you feel," She said in a week voice, "I… I lost everything once… my dad was all I had left… Now he's gone… Taken by the same people who took your sister… You're both friends to me George, the best I've had for years… I can't let you do this alone, I just can't."

"And I can't let you put yourself in danger for me or Helen," George sincerely said with a knot forming in his throat, he wished he wasn't about to do what he was, "I'm going to find a pilot and then I'm leaving… You can have everything in my apartment… Good bye Eleanor." George slowly stood and began to limp away afraid to turn back.

He hated goodbyes and this was the worse of them all. His eyes began to mist up as he hailed a taxi and set to leave for his apartment. Eleanor had done so much for him and it was true what Helen had said those nights before. He was attracted to her, he did enjoy her company but this was something he had to do alone. He had lost Helen and he couldn't bear to loose Eleanor too. At least she was safe here. All he hoped was that she would survive the storm coming in the next few years.

He banged his head against the taxi's window. _'Stupid, stupid, stupid! I forgot to want her about the Reapers!' _It didn't matter now. He would collect his new weapons and armour and leave a warning for her. Then he would head to the docks and hope that he'll find a ship fast enough and a pilot willing to take him to Helen. He was in way over his head… a small sob of fear and sorrow escaped his lips.

* * *

><p>The Broken Drive was a small bar near to the largest docks of Zakera ward. Inside was dimly lit and the only music wasn't the pumping techno beat of the nightclubs but instead a smooth jazz like melody. It reminded George of a Pub back home only this one was full of pilots and other shipmen and women. He had been searching for hours for anyone who would be willing to take him far to the edge of the galaxy in near uncharted space on the other side of the Terminus systems.<p>

It's needless to say that things haven't gone well.

Most pilots and captains laughed at the idea no matter how much he offered, witch after all his equipment wasn't a great deal of credits. Few took him seriously and even then they didn't help. Most ships couldn't even reach that far away from a relay without running out of fuel.

On though had a helpful suggestion, "I know a pilot who is both crazy enough and has a good enough ship to get you there and back." An Asari courier had said, "His name is Malbis, if he's on the Citadel he spends most of his time in the 'Broken Drive'."

So here he was. George limped towards the bar counter where a turian barman stopped polishing the counter's white metal surface with an old rag. He stopped and looked up at George.

"I'm looking for a man called Malbis, I was told I'd find him here."

"Why do you want him?" The turian asked.

"I'm looking for a good pilot and I was told that I should look for him."

"Over there." The turian said as he nodded over towards a small booth in the back wall before returning to his cleaning.

"Thanks," George said, the turian paid no attention as he limped across the tavern.

The patrons paid no notice of him as he approached the dark and secluded both in the back corner. His hart began to beet faster as a nervous sweat formed on his brow as thoughts of this man came into his mind. What was he like? Would he just laugh him off? George was sure that he was his last hope to get to that system without having to search places like Illium or Omega, he just hoped that this man would accept.

"A-Are you Malbis?" George asked.

In the shadows moved a Y shaped head of a salarian. "What if I am?" The salarian asked. His face was a winkled yellow and his two large black eyes scrutinised George from the dimly lit booth.

"I'm looking for I pilot, a good one. I was told to see you."

"Who set you?" The salerian asked. George gulped at the coldness of his voice.

"Well… She didn't say her name but…"

"Ah that's all right. Yes I am Malbis, sit down what can I do for you?"

George gave another confused blink at the salarian's sudden change to a relaxed and welcoming attitude but never less he took a seat opposite the salarian.

"I'm George, George Williams,"

"Pleasure to meet you,"

"Yes, well… I'm just going to say what I need. I need to go somewhere far from any relays on the opposite side of the Terminus. I'll pay of course."

Malbis let out a long chuckle. George sighed lowered his head. He knew it was a long shot.

"Sorry I wasted your time," George said as he began to stand.

"Is that it?" Malbis asked catching George off-guard.

"Excuse me?"

"Is that it? You just want me to fly you into deep space? I do that all the time. Sit back down lad, tell me more."

George only nodded and sat back down.

"Say, do you want a drink?" Malbis asked.

"No thanks, I don't drink."

"Then how do you stay alive?-"

"Can we just get back to this proposal?"

"-I mean every living creature has to dink. Well not bacteria, but you get my point, so if you don't drink then what do you do to live?"

"About my mission?"

"What? Oh that! Yes, please go on." Malbis said. George was quickly deciding that this salarian was most definitely insane. Perfect, just what George was looking for… he hoped.

George began to explain where he wanted to go and showed Malbis the coordinates. The salerian nodded and smiled.

"Yes, yes human, this is interesting, but what is in it for me? Why do you even what to go to this world?"

"A group of dangerous and very wealthy men have kidnaped my sister. I'm going there to rescue her."

"Interesting, good place to hide, but why go to so much trouble, yes, these men must be dangerous, mmm."

"They are, and you'll get a hand in any loot I pick up there." George said.

"Well, I love a challenge, will be interesting… I'll do it human."

"What, just like that?" George said, suspicious at his sudden change of fortune.

"Yes, no point waiting around, was waiting for more work anyway, I'm sending you the location of my ship, I'll meet you there when you're ready." And with that Malbis took a final swig of his dink, nodded to George and left.

George now found himself alone with his thoughts. He couldn't believe his luck but another part of him is cursing at it, he now no longer had an excuse for not going. If he couldn't find a pilot then he would have just spent the rest of his life in guilt yet alive and hopefully happy. Now he was going, he had to go and try to rescue Helen and stop these dimension travellers, maybe he would find a way home… most likely he'd be captured or die… He dropped his head to the table in frustrated despair, _'What have I gotten myself into?'_

* * *

><p>Malbis' ship was a medium size cargo ship that George estimated to be slightly smaller than the original Normandy was in the first game. It was painted white with a name scrawled on the side in salarian that roughly translated as <em>The Whippet. <em>Overall it didn't look all that impressive yet George still couldn't shake that sense of awe as he looked at this precision crafted vessel designed to travel though the cold vacuum of space faster than the speed of light. What wasn't there to be in awe at?

George approached the ship as an asari finished unloading the crates of his newly purchased equipment from the back of a Pretorian Arms truck. She turned to him with an obligatory smile as she held a data pad in her hands.

"All your equipment is here sir," The asari said, "The other half was dropped off at your home and is already singed for." George looked at her quizzically. It must have been Eleanor who signed for her half off the equipment; he just hoped that she'd find some use for it. Although body armour and weapons are not a good leaving present for someone like her. "Please sign your name here." The asari said as she handed George the data pad that he squiggled his name down on before handing it back and both exchanging pleasantries.

"It looks like your prepaid kid." George turned to see Malbis standing at the end of the gangplank to the ship observing the two long creates.

"Y-You've got be if… you're… planning to attack a heavily fortified top secret base all on your own…" George mumbled the last pat.

"I'm not an expert on humans but you look young for that," Malbis said, "But hey, I was barely more than eight when I stated flying."

"Is that young for a salarian?" George asked. He wasn't really listening to Malbis, instead he just stared out into the purple cloud of the Serpent Nebula as his mind was blank from the prospect of the abyss of dread that he now found himself balancing on. He knew that somewhere he made a huge mistake, in fact all of this could still be that mistake. Now he wished that life had a save and load feature.

"Yes, eight is young, legal flying age for a salarian is ten."

"So… you're good?" George absentmindedly asked.

"I'm the best pilot you'll find for hire," Malbis said without missing a beat.

"Good to know…"

"You're frightened aren't you?"

"What? No, no I'm not!" George said with a quiver as he turned back to the wrinkled salarian.

"You are, seen it enough times, always the same, I was like that once," Malbis took a long berth of air, "First time in STG, didn't go well…"

"You were in the STG?" George asked as his interest suddenly peaked.

"No! Said too much. We should get your stuff on-board, yes?"

"Yeah…" George replied with a hint of misery as he bent his knees down to grab a hold of one side of the largest create. "Do you mind taking the other side?"

"Sorry, with my back I can't, I'll get my co-pilot to do it," Malbis said, George was about to question him but Malbis had already called inside the ship the name "Sceroax."

The gangplank clanged as a large grey turian strolled out of the sip. George was taken aback by this turian. He was about seven and a half feet tall with dark red face markings. His most distinguishable features though was a cybernetic right leg and left hand and his face was scared and burned, his left mandible was missing and his eyes were also cybernetic.

"Sceroax, this is George Williams," Malbis introduced before turning to George, "Mr Williams, this is Sceroax, he doesn't talk much,"

"Right… Good to meet you." George stumbled to say. Sceroax grunted a grunt of acknowledgment as he moved to help George with the crates.

* * *

><p>The inside of the ship was rather homely. At the front of cause was the cockpit with two well used seats and each side customised through years of use. Behind was the kitchen and mess area, behind that was the recreation area and then a lift down to the lower decks. On ever side of the lift was two doors that led to the crew cabins. There were four in total and George took a spare one to the left of the lift.<p>

It was small with a single bed and a desk but at least it had its own bathroom, although it was just larger than a walk-in wardrobe. Most of all George was surprised to find it well lit and clean. He stored his gear in his locker and on the desk before leaving towards the cockpit where Malbis and Sceroax were manipulating the orange holographic interfaces preparing to fly.

"Are you ready kid? Once we leave I won't be turning around until we reach the end." Malbis said.

George gulped as anxiety wash over him. He wished he had a chance to say goodbye to Eleanor better way, maybe to even to tell her how he really felt. _'No, that would be worse, and besides, why would she even be interested in you?'_

"I'm ready." He gulped.

"Good, now it would take about a week to get there-"

"A week!" George nearly screamed.

"Yes, and that's using relays and FTL all the way."

George collapsed into a spear seat behind Sceroax with a look of defeat on his face, "We beater leave now then."

Malbis nodded and immediately went about asking Citadel Control for permission to leave. A few seconds later the gangplank retracted and the docking clamps disengaged leaving the ship to glide out of the dock and into the Nebula. George watched as the two pilots flew the ship past the towers of the citadel wards and then out of the Citadel's arms and towards one the many relays. It only now occurred to George that despite living in this universe for two months he has never been in a true ship, this far from the citadel or even used a mass relay.

The blue glow of one of the Citadel relays moved closer as Malbis moved the ship into position and only then did George think about how he was about to be catapulted across the galaxy faster than the speed of light.

He gulped.

'_What could possibly go wrong?'_… He wished he didn't think that.

He jumped and broke into a nervous sweat as a bolt of blue energy latched out to the ship. The world around sped up as the ship got closer and closer and then there was a jolt. Hel clasped his eyes shut. A few seconds later there was another jolt. His eyes flew open. He tried to control his jaw drop.

The purple hue of the nebula was gone and instead there was nothing but the darkness of space peppered and gleaming with stars of all sizes and temperatures. The biggest of them must have been this system's star which shone an orange glow that seeped through the windows and mixed with the blues of the nearby relays.

He was stunned by its beauty and he knew that this was only a small segment. It didn't last long however as the ship moved to another relay and the process repeated again.

This time George kept his eyes open as the ship passed through. All he saw was a brilliant tunnel of blue light engulf the ship and then disappear as they reached the other side. However there was more to it than that. Faintly beyond the blue the stars shifted and turned tough a whole new spectrum of light as they sped bye. It was as if someone hallucinating took a hyperspace seen from Star Wars and then painted over it in whatever colours they could dream off. There were even some colours that he was sure he had never seen before.

This relay also took longer to traverse. The first one was over in a minute or so but the second one was longer, how long George did not know as he was too absorbed in watching the dancing ribbons of light outside.

"Odd."

"What? What's odd?" George asked, startled what Malbis said.

"Simply, the ship's readings are saying that something is in the cargo bay that shouldn't be there… Sceroax, what do you see?"

Sceroax responded with a different kind of grunt.

"Yeah, just as I though, George, Sceroax, go and see if there's anything there. Oh, and take a gun."

"What?" George simply said. He understood what to do he just didn't expect he would be doing this.

"If it's alive you'll do better with a gun." Malbis said without taking his eyes of the consol. Sceroax had already stood from his seat and had walked to what George presumed was his cabin. George only nodded as shakily he too stood and walked to his cabin and picked up his new Phalanx pistol with his trembling hands.

'_Get a hold of yourself George,' _He thought to himself, _'You can do this. It's just checking the hold. The hard stuff comes later.'_

He took several deep berths to calm his nerves as he strapped a shield generator to his belt and walked out to the lift where Sceroax was waiting. The both stood next to each over in silence. A fearful thought of mistrust crept into his mind. What if there was something they weren't telling him, after all they agreed to this pretty easily. Images of Sceroax knocking him out, shooting him in the back and the lift opening to a room of slavers crossed his mind. No, Sceroax was a dull blue in his eagle sense… that couldn't be wrong could it? Nerveless he told himself that he would keep an eye of the turian.

He let out a sigh of relief as the doors opened to reveal a cargo hold with only a few crates scattered around. Sceroax looked at him before pointing right with a grunt. He then turned and took the left side of the hold. George complied as he raised his pistol and began to check around for anyone or anything that shouldn't be here. Although that was a problem as he didn't know what should be here.

He crept between two rows of crates. He came to a gap and checked his left corner but before he could check right a familiar voice said; "Hello George."

George swooped round to see none other than Eleanor leaning against a crate with an annoyed frown on her face. She wore her new black and marginally form-fitting body armour with a pistol and sub-machinegun attached.

"What... Eleanor? How did you get here?" George stumbled to ask as he placed away his pistol.

"Simple. I tracked your omni-tool to this ship and then I simply used one of those clocking devises that you got for us to walk on."

"Oh…" George said in mild embarrassment. He should have known that she was smart enough for something as simple as that.

"Oh, and George," Eleanor said as she walked towards him, "Never leave me like that again." She growled as she raised her right hand and slapped George across the face.


	7. Nightmares and Slavers

Here's the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed.

Please enjoy and review.

* * *

><p>"Eleanor, please, how many times do I have to say that I am sorry?"<p>

"A lot more. Do you have any idea how much what you said hurt me?" Eleanor yelled, "Earlier you were all like 'I'm here for you' and 'I know what it's like' but then you just abandon me to take on this foolhardy quest all by yourself!"

"I was scared. I didn't want you to be in danger."

In the cockpit of _the Whippet _Malbis listened intently to the argument coming from the ship's recreation area. The cockpit's doors were closed but the remote controlled intercom he had installed fixed that problem. The salarian chuckled as he turned to his turian friend.

"Woman, no matter the species they are all the same."

Sceroax didn't respond as he continued to read his magazine whilst he waited for the ship to travel though the mass relay.

"This is why I never settled down… Well there was that one asari, what was her name… ah never mind it doesn't matter… what was I talking about?"

Sceroax wasn't listening at all, Malbis always like to ramble on about something meaningless but Sceroax as always had his near invisible headphones plugged in as was listening to his favourite station, Palaven Galactic Radio.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I just…" George sighed and continued to hold his head (still with a large red handprint on one side) in his hands. "I don't know what to say to make things right… Can we, can we just forget that that happened?"

"Maybe," Eleanor softly replied as she sat down on a black sofa opposite George. The layout of the recreation area involved three matching sofas, two of which were angled opposites of each other and the third in the canter facing though the gap and towards the large vid-screen on the wall. In the centre of the sofas was a small and well used table. "I'm… I'm not feeling myself," She sighed, "It's just everything that's happed… You, your sister… my dad."

"I don't blame you Eleanor, I understand if everything that's happened is too much for you."

"It's not just the pressure. You have a chance to rescue your sister, no matter how small it is… I… I wish I had that chance."

George raised an eyebrow of confusion at what Eleanor had just said. Her last words were quiet and depressed, "What do you mean you wish you had a chance?" He cautiously asked.

Eleanor sighed as she stared sorrowed at the floor with watering eyes, "You're not the only one to have lost a sister George."

"Eleanor… What… I'm sorry I didn't know." George stumbled to say.

"I've never told anyone. Not even my dad talked about it."

"What happened?" George asked.

"Elysium." It was all the answer George needed.

"Oh my… I'm, I am so sorry Eleanor-"

"No it's fine, really. Please can we just not talk about it?" Eleanor said with a sniff in a failed attempt to hide her fear and sorrow.

"If you want then I'll say nothing more." George said. His mind was begging in caution to pressure her for answers but the look on her face, one of deep internal torment made him resist. He had no idea what to do.

"If… If you don't mind I'm going to bed now." Eleanor eventually sighed after a minute of silence.

"No, I don't mind at all, I may go myself after all I was up all last night hunting for clues." George replied with a small chuckle and to which Eleanor let out a small smile as she headed to the cabins.

* * *

><p>Malbis, like all salarians, required little sleep and remained in the cockpit. Sceroax had retired to his quarters at about the same time as George. Now George lay in a frustratingly small bed awake and desperately trying to sleep.<p>

He tossed and turned yet his mind was overwhelmed with worry. He kept thinking the worse for Helen and then trying to deny the thoughts he was having. Each time his thoughts were more vivid and frightening. He just wished that Helen would stay safe until he got there. And he prayed that he would be able to rescue her, and that they all would survive.

A knock at his cabin's door jolted him from his thoughts. He quickly glanced at his omni-tool and saw that it was past midnight.

He groaned as he slipped out of bed and stumbled towards the door wondering who could be there. He tapped the lock and with a swoosh the door slid open to reveal an exhausted looking Eleanor wearing a lose fitting shirt and shorts.

"Eleanor?"

Eleanor stood there unmoving in a tired and sorrow filled silence trance.

"Eleanor, are you okay? What's wrong?" George asked with a concerned yawn.

"N… Nothing, I… I shouldn't have disturbed you, sorry." She stumbled to say as she turned back to her cabin.

"No, wait, it's okay Eleanor. What's wrong?" George asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. She shrugged his hand off and slowly turned to lean against the wall opposite the cabins with her arms crossed over her chest and a look of silent sorrow on her face as she stared absently at the floor.

She let out a long sigh, "I… I've been out her for half an hour thinking weather or not I should knock. I didn't want to disturb you, I should just go back-"

"No, if you want to see me then I'm okay with that. I wasn't sleeping anyway. What's wrong Eleanor?" George asked as he leaned against the wall opposite her.

Again Eleanor sighed, "I… I was having nightmares again. Only these were memories not just dreams. I… I spent years trying to forget but with everything that's happened… They've all came back."

George stood in silence for a few brief seconds before asking softly; "They were about Elysium weren't they?"

Eleanor slowly nodded. She looked up at him through tired and moist eyes before sighing again and turning her head to the floor. "I was born there. I lived there all my life with my mother, father, my younger sister Cassidy and younger brother Shawn. Elysium was the only home I knew and it was beautiful, the greatest planet anyone could grow up on. We lived in a large house on hills to the north west of the city of Illyria, overlooking both the city and the ocean. The city was an amazing sight. It's white and glass towers reached to the sky like something out of fantasy stories, and in the evenings when the sun set in the west over the Fortune Isles the city and the sea would turn golden and glisten in the evening light. The whole planet was beautiful. It had snow-capped mountains and grassy valleys, green forests and clear blue seas…"

Eleanor's eyes were distant and dreamy in her memories and a fond smile was drawn over her face. But then slowly the smile fell and a look of despair crept over her features as her expression fell.

"I was fifteen on that day everything changed." Her voice was now barely more than a whisper, "It all started as a normal day. My sister and I were at our high school in the city, the same one that our mom worked at. It… it was around midday when the attack started. My sister and I found each other in the chaos and we ran together for the shelter but the slavers, almost all batarians… they were surrounding us and herding the pupils like cattle. Those who resisted or ran were shot…"

Eleanor slowly slid down the wall and clasped her legs to her chest as tears seeped from her horrified eyes. George moved and crouched down next to her as she continued. "Cass and I ran back inside and decided to head to our mother's class. We got there and burst in but the batarians were already there. They… they had these conditioning chip things that they implant into your brain and they had done so to everyone in the room, even my mom… many didn't survive but those girls who did… including my mother they… they…"

Eleanor's face contorted into one of deep emotional pain as she buried her head into her legs and failed to hold back the few tears that trickled down her cheeks. George was horrified by what he was hearing. How could anyone in this day and age do such things? Then he remembered that the batarians weren't human, even from the game they were his least favourite species but hearing a story about them in person, it was more horrifying and heart breaking than anything the game portrayed. He placed a hand on Eleanor's shoulder and in a soft voice said; "Hey, It's okay, you don't have to continue if you don't want to."

Eleanor sniffed once more and shook her head. "They placed my sister's head on a desk and prepared to implant her when my mother managed to resist the conditioning chip." Eleanor's voice held no emotion and her words were dry and tired, "She yelled for me to run as she snatched a batarian's pistol and began to fire. I… I ran to door in the confusion but when I looked back I saw… I saw them kill her. I… I didn't know what to do. I just ran, leaving Cass behind. I just ran out of the school and kept running. I don't know how or why but I managed to reach the shelter in the city centre and an Alliance soldier helped me in before the doors closed. I was lost and alone but somehow my dad had made it to the bunker and he found me. We just sat in silence and fear as that one soldier held the slavers back until Alliance reinforcements arrived."

George couldn't help but let out a small smile at the thought that the Alliance soldier who held the slavers at bay must have been Commander Shepard. The smile though disappeared as fast as it arrived as Eleanor continued to tell her story.

"The next day they found my mom's body and my brother Shawn's. He had died at his school, a single shot to the head… They never found Cass however, or half of my mother's class."

"So… your sister…" George gently began in horrified realisation.

"I don't like to think about it… what's worse is that I hope that she is dead, that way she won't have to suffer."

George sat next to Eleanor and both remained in silence. George had no idea what to say, he was sure that there were no words to describe whatever he would have said, in English at least.

"Fortumaka,"

Eleanor turned to George with a look of confusion.

"It's a word from an old turian language." George explained, "It means to find strength from trauma and painful loss. Eleanor, you have lost everything but instead of breaking down you have the strength to follow me to almost certain doom in an attempt to rescue Helen and to avenge your father. If that isn't straight from loss then I don't know what is."

Slowly as small smile crept onto Eleanor's face as she gently leaned into George and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," She softly said, "Please, I… Just stay with me for a bit."

"As long as you need Eleanor." George smiled somewhat awkwardly as Eleanor slowly drifted to sleep on his shoulder. She looked so peaceful and he didn't want to disturb her so with another smile he to drifted off into a still, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>Doctor Alexis Muller stumbled almost blinded through the thick black clouds of smoke that curled around him. The heat from the fires around scorched at his skin and the seams of his blood stained and torn lab coat. He held his sleeve in front of his mouth in a futile attempt to hold back the smoke from chocking his lungs. He coughed and spurted, his eyes burned from the smoke. He moved as quickly as he could through the burning wooden frame of the large house. He finally came to what he was looking for, a large wooden door that almost blended into the panelled and green papered wall that was now pealing and scorched. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys that he thumbed with in his hands, continuing to cough from the black smoke that rolled around.<p>

The keys slipped from his sweating hands and clattered to the charcoaled remains of the floor where small flames still flickered. He opened his mouth to curse yet instead choked. He lowered himself to the ground and scooped up the keys as he gasped for the last remaining strands of air. He then stood and collapsed against the door whilst placing a large key into the lock and twisted it to hear a satisfying click and thud. He pushed open the door, swung in and closed the door behind him.

There was still air in here to his relief yet smoke seeped from further down a darkened staircase which was illuminated by flames. Panic began to seep in as Alexis stumbled down the stairs and into what once was his private laboratory. The floor from the library above had collapsed down burying the myriad of scientific equipment under the burning remains of antique furnisher and irreplaceable books that he had grown up with. The large and ancient desk that his father once sat at lay in ruins over smashed glass vials and burning chemicals fuelling the flames of the already charcoaled flooring. He didn't have time to take in the loss of everything he owned and grew up around as he stumbled across the room to a large melted and burnt canvas that once was a priceless work of art. He grabbed the corners yet let go with a gasp as the heat from the burning frame burnt his hands. He shook them off and with all he strength he slammed into the side of the picture and knocked it from the wall.

To his relief the safe behind was still intact. He rapped his hand in a handkerchief as he moved to turn the near red hot combination lock. Finally he got the combination and swung the lock open. Inside was what he was looking for. His last hope to fix his mistakes. Two glass test tubes with a pail blue liquid in each. He took each and moved to place them in to his pocket. One slipped from his hand. Shock and anger shot though him as it shattered on the burning floor. He didn't have time to think about it as he made sure the last vial was safe before stumbling back across the burning lab. He reached the stairs and was thankful that they were made from stone as he ascended from the basement that resembled hell.

He came back into the corridor of his once great house. Sweat funnelled from his brow and evaporated away in the intense heat of the roaring fires as he half stumbled, half sprinting towards the entrance hall and then out into the cold dark streets of Dresden. His wife immediately ran up to him and embraced him in a worrying hug as Alexis coughed and stumbled to the ground. All she could do was tap him on the back as he coughed up thick fluid and gasped for clean air. Only the air wasn't clean. The putrefying stench of burning and blood was all around.

He looked up and around the dark deserted street. His neighbours bodies lay in the light snow that gently fell from the air. The heat from his burning home kept the coldness at bay and in the distance were the glows of other fires.

All this was his fault. The blood of many innocents in this city he called home was on his hands and he dreaded to think of how many more deaths would have come. He was just glad that he had gotten a warning out in time and he hoped that with the last vile that he saved he would be able to fix his mistakes.

He pulled the small glass tube from his lab coat and looked at its label. It wasn't what caused the chaos that griped this city, that vile containing what would soon be known as the Dresden strain was the one that he had dropped and had smashed. This one was the unfinished antidote.

"I got it." he said between coughs and wheezes, it was then he noticed something or rather someone was missing. His heart sank in panic. "Where's Anna?"

"She… She was right here!" Alexis' wife said as she too looked around in panic. "Anna! Anna where are you!"

"Don't shout, they'll here you!" Alexis said as he franticly looked all around, it was then he heard something that sent a frozen shockwave of panic through him. A young and familiar scream.

"_Daddy!"_

Alexis and his wife turned to see their daughter run out of a side street and slipped to the ground. The seven year old let out a yelp of surprise and pain as she hit the crimson and white street. Behind was a tide of feral and inhuman cries and from the corner sprinted three people. These people however were pail and caked in blood. Two were once regular men and the third ware a torn and bloodied green coat of the police. One of them had their lower jaw torn from their face yet still it charged after his daughter.

These were the monsters he had created.

He pulled his pistol from its holster as one of his monsters dived for his little girl.

Alexis' eyes shot open.

He looked around the dimly lit book cases of his office and let out a long groan. He always has the same nightmare, the same memory replaying itself each time he closed his eyes. He pressed a button to light up the room and picked up the picture of his wife and daughter to the side.

For him that night was six years ago. It has been five years since he last saw them. He wanted nothing more than to get home. To hold them again. To be by his daughter's side.

He remembered what happened next.

Alexis rand towards his daughter as one landed over her. She screamed and punched the feral man as he cawed and attempted to bite the young girl. He aimed his pistol and pulled the trigger. The former man's head popped. Anna screamed as blood and brain matter splattered across her face.

Alexis then turned the gun to the other two and fired at the former police officer who sprinted towards him. It took three shots to make the feral man fall. He felt no remorse, no sympathy. All that mattered to him was Anna. He fired the on the third and with his last bullet the former neighbour fell to the ground dead.

He and his wife ran to Anna. She was almost completely red with blood, he couldn't tell if it was her own or not. His daughter shook with horror and fear as he scooped her into his arms.

"It's okay Anna, it's okay. I'm here, I've got you." He reassuringly whispered.

Anna let out a small sob and whimpered as she grasped onto her father's lab coat. The three sat there in the slight snowfall basked in the light of their burning house.

"I'm… I'm cold…" Anna whimpered.

Alexis looked into her eyes. He saw them changing before him. He looked down at her arm and his heart stopped. She had a set of deep bite marks that gouged into her skin. His wife gasped and silently whispered no over and over again.

"W-W-What's wrong daddy?" Anna quivered.

"Nothing Anna. You're going to be all right, I promise." Alexis said in a soothing voice, doing his best to hide his hart broken fear.

"I don't feel well…"

Alexis reached into his pocket and pulled out the small vial. His daughter's life depended upon the liquid in this small glass tube. He hoped it worked.

It didn't work completely. His daughter never became one of those monsters. But ever since that day she had been week and sick. Her once deep blue eyes were constantly tired, bloodshot and had turned a sickly yellow. Her blond and flowing hair was now almost lifeless. Just like her.

He swore that he would find a way to make her better. A way to fix his mistakes. When he was given the opportunity of coming here to this universe he couldn't resist the chance to have the knowledge and technology of an infinite number of advanced civilizations to help him.

That was five years ago. Five years and he wasn't any closer to finding a cure. Five years he was trapped here in this universe.

He had to find a way back. He had to find a way to help his daughter. But how?

He looked over to his console and switched to view of the cell of their newest addition. Helen, her name was. She lay shaking in fear under the bed as if to hide herself from them. He had hoped that something may have been unique about her, something that would have explained the distortions they had in the transporter. Perhaps she would have had they key to them getting home. But no. There was nothing. She was just a normal girl.

Alexis shook his head and switched the camera to another cell where that so called 'Little Sister' sat cuddling an old stuffed doll and softly sung to herself.

He thought. Five years of research. He had to do something. He smiled as new plans formulated in his mind.

* * *

><p>"Eden Prime, I have two settlements so that's a total landing fee of five hundred." George said with a smile as he looked at the hologram of Eleanor's skycar above the blue place on the holographic bored.<p>

"You said you'd go easy, I've never played this game before." Eleanor said with a sarcastic sadness in her voice.

"To be honest I'm surprised that Monopoly still exists." George said with a smile that quickly fell as he, and Eleanor, looked over to Malbis who to George's relief was too preoccupied with the game to think about what he had said.

"Interesting game," The salarian mused, "Never played human games before, are they always this long?"

"Some are, others not. It all depends on who's playing and how they play." George said.

It had been three days since they had set out on their journey. Three days of worry for George. Each day that passed felt longer than the last and each new day brought more fear for Helen than the last. Eleanor - now sleeping without nightmares – was a great help at easing his worries and small games like this holographic Monopoly he downloaded onto his omni-tool also helped.

"Malbis it's your turn," Eleanor said.

"What? My turn? Oh yes!" Malbis reached forwards and scooped up the holographic dice in his hands only to stop as his omni-tool suddenly started beeping. "Humm… Excuse me but I have to check something in the cockpit." The salarian said as he dropped the dice, stood and walked out of the mess area and into the ship's cockpit.

"What was that about?" Eleanor asked. George simply shrugged and stood to follow with Eleanor soon joining him.

George and Eleanor stood behind Malbis and Sceroax who both sat in their seats. "What's wrong?" George asked.

Malbis pressed a few buttons and hummed to himself, "We are almost out of fuel."

"I thought you said you filled this ship up?" George said.

"No, only enough fuel to get to the terminus. Fuel in citadel space too expensive."

"So what now?" Eleanor asked.

"We head to nearest fuelling station." Malbis said.

The group remained in silence for a few moments until George finally asked the question both he and Eleanor were thinking, "Where's the nearest refuelling station?"

"Shul'Kazun, it's an old station that's almost like a small Omega. Not pleasant place, terrible, filthy, slaver and pirate retreat."

George noticed Eleanor's filch at the word 'slaver' but he was more occupied on the name of the station, "Shul'Kazun, that's batarian."

Eleanor flinched again as a look of deep hatred passed over her face.

"Yes, it is batarian. Station built long ago by a wealthy batarian 'businessman', I suggest for your safety you stay on-board."

Eleanor however was having different ideas.

* * *

><p>Shul'Kazun station was an entirely unwelcoming sight. It was in orbit around a large red gas giant and for the most part resembled the refuelling stations George remembered from the game. Its size though, although not as breath taking as the citadel was still impressive and it appeared that many 'new' parts were bolted onto its dark and neglected sides. In all honestly it appeared that it should be a derelict wreck however that was far from the truth. Many ships of all shapes and sizes were docked to its sides and luminous red lights glowed like scars across the station.<p>

It was awe inspiring and yet terrifying and dreadful all at once. It was like a dark fortress drifting though the bleakness of space around a world of death. George gulped.

"That's Shul'Kazun?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes," Was Malbis' reply.

_The Whippet_ drifted forwards and approached the station. It's docking arms stuck from the sides like stakes ready to impale the ships yet nerveless Malbis and Sceroax guided the ship in and docked with a large clang of the seals and holds engaging. It was now George realised that their ship was attached to the station and the only way off was if the clamps disengaged. If that didn't happen then they were stuck here.

"Is this safe?" He asked.

"Safe, no, nothing's safe here." Malbis said, "I suggest you stay on the ship, me and Sceroax will sort out the fuel… and don't worry, you won't be charged extra."

The two pilots rose from their seats and walked towards the airlock. "We shouldn't be long," Malbis said. George couldn't help but notice them checking their side arms and kinetic barriers as the doors closed.

George took a seat and began twiddling his fingers together as he waited. Eleanor did the same, for about thirty seconds. "So… Do you want to go out there?"

"Yeah, let's go." George said as the two walked to their cabins to pick up their gear.

* * *

><p>The first thing George noticed as he stepped out of the ship and onto the station was the smell. It's was a musty and harsh assortment of dreadful odours. Next was the unpleasant and completely unnatural heat and humidity that felt like a large punch to the face and chest. He was surprised that the air at all was breathable.<p>

"I think I'm going to be sick," Eleanor said as she stumbled from the first step.

"Just go anywhere, no one would notice." George sighed.

They cautiously stepped forwards and into the docks. It was a ghastly yet unique site. It did look like Omega with its sprawling and unorganized market stalls selling cheap and ill gained goods, however a sense of danger clearly lingered in the air around.

Eleanor suddenly gasped, grabbed George's arm and pointed over in the distance. George too nearly gasped as he saw a series of small and crowded cages filled with humans, quarians and asari, each with a look of hopelessness on them. They were sorted into groups of age and gender, young and old, male and female. Each caged like animals that had lost all hope.

George too was almost sick at the sight.

"It is sights like that made me suggest staying on-board," Malbis said as he moved behind the two, "Disgusting, unethical, immoral. No one deserves that."

"We… we've got to do something. We can't just leave them like that!" Eleanor said.

"What can we do? We can't buy them all, and not all will fit on the ship. Some have been in slavery all their lives; they won't be able to live free." Malbis said with a sigh.

"But… there must be something." Eleanor whispered.

"There isn't, I tried once." Malbis said, "The ship will take a few hours to refuel. Sceroax and I have got some stuff to do. We'll contact you when ready but please try to stay out of trouble. I don't expect to have to rescue you two."

With that Malbis turned and left with Sceroax leaving Eleanor and George alone on the station. The two stood there for a moment. Eleanor closed her eyes in hard thought as she clashed her armoured fists close. She finally let out a huff and started walking forwards. With her black armour she almost seemed to disappear into the darkness of the station even without her cloaking device. George knew where she was going and jogged to her side.

"So, what's the plan?" He asked.

"I don't know but… We've got to do something."

"I know, but what Malbis said…" George let out a long sigh, he hated what he was about to say, "We… we can't save them all, get them all out of there."

"I… I know George but… I have to do something, just like you saving Helen, I've… I've got to do something."

George felt a great deal of admiration for Eleanor as he saw the determined look on her face. "We need a plan."

They approached the cages and examined them and the area around. Everyone on the station was red to George's eagle sense. He didn't even need his abilities to know that. The two did their best to mask their disgust at the site of the slaves. They weren't the only ones there, a large crowd of almost every species had gathered around a small stage like area where a smartly dressed batarian stood. George knew what was happening and had a plan.

"Eleanor, it's a slave auction. They are selling them." George whispered.

"That gives us a chance. We buy one and set them free." Eleanor said.

"That's what I was thinking. But we can't buy them all and what do we do next?" George said.

Eleanor bowed her head in sadness. "We buy one who's the most vulnerable." She whispered.

George silently nodded in agreement. He was somewhat relieved that there were no children. But looking at the hopeless faces of those waiting in the cages, how could he choose one?

The first to be brought out on stage was a human man in his late twenties. He was scared and had marks of years of hard work and abuse. The batarian auctioneer said that he was taken from the colony of Mindoir twelve years ago and was 'a reliant and hardworking slave'. He was popular and eventually went to a volus for fifteen thousand credits.

The auction went on for some time. The first lot were the so called 'experienced and reliable' slaves. Then came the 'fresh' slaves. These were the ones who George had the hardest letting go to the true slavers around.

The quarians were first. Most of them were apparently middle aged and from a captured scout ship. George wanted to bid one some of them but Eleanor – despite also wanting to bid – pointed him to one of the last people in the cage.

A young asari woman who had also caught the eyes of most of the men around. The looks they gave her almost made him want to rip certain organs off of them. She had light blue skin and matching eyes that were filled with absolute horror and fear. Her face was genital and innocent as was her body that was well proportion. She wore tattered clothes and a strange electronic collar like device around her neck, as did all of the asari on sale. When she was brought on stage and the auctioneer announced how she was 'unused' to the enjoyment of many around him George and Eleanor both knew that she was the one they would bid on.

"Bidding will start at five thousand," The auctioneer announced before going into the usual auctioneer style quick speaking which was odd to hear coming from a batarian. "Five thousand, do I here six, six thousand, seven thousand, eight thousand."

The bidding was fierce but George was not about to let her go. Soon all but one of the opposing bidders backed down. A cloaked and hooded asari who had already bought five slaves kept going against him. Each bid he made she outmatched. It was now getting ridiculously high and truthfully George didn't have the money left to pay for her. The asari slave just silently stood on stage with light tears seeping down her face as George and the hooded asari kept going. Sixty thousand, seventy thousand, eighty thousand, ninety thousand.

"One-hundred thousand credits, any advances on one-hundred thousand? Going once, twice. Sold to the human at the front!"

George and Eleanor let out a sigh of relief, George glanced over to the hooded asari who simply shook her head and disappeared into the crowd.

"Good bid human," A turian said with a dark chuckle, "You and your 'companion' here have a good eye, though you better pay up, fast."

George only nodded gently as the turian left.

"Do you have one-hundred thousand credits?" Eleanor asked in a hushed tone.

"No, but they don't know that." George said as he played with his omni-tool.

He approached a batarian behind a desk where the buyers paid for their slaves. The clocked asari had just finished paying and as she left to collect her 'stock' she quickly glanced at George with a frown.

George approached the desk and the batarian looked up at him with a smile. "Well if it isn't our highest bidder. You don't look like the type to buy slaves. Not even the type with one-hundred thousand credits."

"That's where you would be mistaken," George said as he attempted to sound as tough as possible and failed. He created a large credit chit with his omni-tool and dropped it for the batarian. He examined it before placing it in a small strongbox and scribbling a note on a tablet. "Your slave is in cell 18247C, she's yours to do as you wish."

George nodded and with Eleanor at his side approached the cells. He thought the display cells were bad. These ones were ten times worse. Slaves screaming as they were torn from the safety of the bars to their new owners. Those who waited for their new lives as slaves silently wept, and those who were used to being slaves simply did as their new masters ordered them to.

Soon they came to the cell where their asari was. She sat huddled in the corner, silently weeping and fearful of what was to become of her. A turian opened the cell and with a nod walked away for them to take her.

Slowly George and Eleanor entered. He asari looked up and huddled herself tighter then George had thought possible.

Eleanor was however the one who approached her first and slowly knelt down to the asari's level. "Don't be afraid, we're here to get you out of here." She said in the most comforting and soothing voice she could manage.

The asari had a brief look of confusion yet continued to cower in fear. "My name is Eleanor and this is George. We bought you to save you from others. Please, it's okay. What's your name?"

The asari's eyes darted between Eleanor and George, her new masters, she couldn't tell whether this was some kind of cruel trick or whether they were telling the truth.

"V-Valkies…" She whimpered.

"Valkies, trust us please." Eleanor said with a kind smile as she slowly reached her had forwards for the asari.

Valkies looked at it and then into Eleanor's eyes. She gulped and slowly nodded as she reached for Eleanor's hand and together they stood.

"Th-thank… I don't…"

"There's nothing you need to say Valkies, we're only doing what anyone with a conscience would." George said, "Now, we're going to have to pretend that you are our slave to get out of here. I doubt they would take too kindly to free slaves."

Cautiously Valkies nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"I… I'm going to take hold of you by your arm and drag you out of here, if that's okay with you of course." George said.

Valkies looked between the two humans again and slowly nodded.

George smiled. "Right, now let's get out of here before they realise that that credit chit I gave them was a fake."

* * *

><p>Getting out of the slave pens was easy enough and from there on Valkies was allowed to walk free. They found a secluded spot and she explained that the collar she had on was a biotic inhibitor device. With a close examination from both Eleanor and George they managed to work out how to remove it. Next Eleanor took Valkies around the stalls to shop for new clothes.<p>

"So where do you come from, if you don't mind me asking?" Georg said.

"Isarni, it's a small asari colony on the edge of the terminus but the ship I was on was attacked by slavers only last week. It was a shuttle to Thessia, I was on my way back to university there."

"How old are you? If you don't mind?" George asked.

Valkies let out a small chuckle and turned to Eleanor, "Is he always this polite?"

"Unfortunately yes," Eleanor chuckled.

"So what if I am?" George defended, "There's no law against being polite."

"Maybe to the hanar and you can be just like them at times." Eleanor chuckled. George gave her a frown out of annoyance.

"Nothing's wrong with it George, anyway I'm eighty-two." Valkies replied with a smile.

"Wow, that's young for an asari isn't it?" Eleanor said.

"It is, and thank you again for saving me. My parents most likely are terrified at my disappearance."

"As I said, you don't need to thank us." George replied as he walked over to browse the market stalls. Valkies watched his every move.

"Valkies?"

"What… oh, yes Eleanor?"

"Are you interested in wearing something more than those rags or not?"

"Oh, yes I am, sorry." Valkies answered as she and Eleanor browsed a clothing stall. "You're, lucky to have a man like him."

"What?" Eleanor asked as a frown of confusion came across her, "Wait, you mean… you think me and George… No, we're just friends."

"Oh, sorry, I just thought…"

"Never mind, just forget it." Eleanor said as she turned to a rack of shirts.

Valkies couldn't see the light blush on Eleanor's face, and Eleanor couldn't see the joyful smirk of Valkies'.

It was an hour later when the trio approached a shuttle waiting in the docks. Valkies wore newish and relatively clean and simple clothes and had a second-hand omni-tool. The shuttle itself was remarkably a commuter one to Illium that George and Eleanor had managed to get a seat for Valkies on. From there, with a gift of five thousand credits she would head home.

"Thank you… No one has ever been this kind to me." She said with a voice that was hushed from overwhelming internal joy.

"You deserve it Valkies," Eleanor said.

"Yeah, I just wish that we could have done more." George sighed.

"You did more than anyone else would," Valkies smiled. "I… I wish you luck in finding your sister George, both of you."

"Thank you Valkies." George said.

"_Attention, the ship for Illium is now leaving. If you booked a seat get on board now. This is your final warning." _A harsh asari voice said over a nearby intercom.

"Well, this is it. Thank you again, I… I don't know how to show how thankful I am."

"Get going, you don't want to be around here anymore do you?" Eleanor asked.

"No, I... I hope that you make it back and that we meet again someday."

"I hope so too," Eleanor said.

It was then Valkies hugged Eleanor who returned the hug in a friendly way. Valkies then turned to George and did something he didn't expect. She lent forwards and kissed him on the cheek before backing away, blushing and saying a final "Goodbye."

George watched her disappear into the ship with a dumbstruck look and his hand resting on his cheek.

Eleanor humped and turned to him with a somewhat annoyed look, "Close your mouth George, who knows what's in this air."

"Sh-Sh-She… kissed… me…" George stumbled as he attempted to regain himself.

"Well with what you did I'm not surprised."

"A girl kissed me?" George said in an unsure voice.

"What? Wait… Have you ever been kissed before?"

"N-No, I never even had a girlfriend…" George stumbled, not knowing what he was saying as his mid tried to get over the shock.

Eleanor let out a long laugh, "You've never… How… Why… Wait? You don't… you know… prefer men do you?"

"What! No! Of course not… I mean… I've had plenty of friends who are girls, just none what you would call a girlfriend."

Eleanor let out another small chuckle, "Seriously?"

Thankfully it was at that moment both George and Eleanor's omni-tools beeped, saving him from more awkward conversation. "It looks like Malbis and the ship is ready." George said, "Let's get going, I've had enough of this station."

"Yeah, let's go." Eleanor agreed as the two turned and began to make their way through the narrow and poorly lit streets back to the ship.

The narrow and ridged streets between the walls that separated buildings from each over seemed almost as if it was designed to create a sense of disorientation and dread. They passed people, mostly batarians and a few turians, who were passed out on the ground from drink, exhaustion or hopelessness. There was also the odd vorcha scavenging in junk or huddling together and scrutinising everyone that passed like a starving vulture would. There were often armed guards standing outside buildings with neon signs enticing people in with promises of riches and pleasures from all forms of vice. It was only on the larger streets by the outer walls where the markets were.

George and Eleanor continued to find their way through these streets. Many people they passed ignored them, others were weary of them but most of all regarded them with unwelcoming and hostile looks. It was only from the woman of the street who gave them somewhat welcoming looks. The looks they received however worsened as they entered a small open area. A group of two batarians and a turian blocked their way to the front. Down a street to the side came a krogan and two more turians and stood blocking the street with looks of amusement like predators about to catch their pray. George and Eleanor both had an idea of what was coming and began to back up the way they came and turned only to see two more batarians and a human standing behind them.

It was now the cold and chilling chuckles came from those around them. The human at the front of the group in expensive looking armour stepped forwards; he had black hair and olive skin. He removed a cigarette from his mouth and flipping it to the ground before cracking his knuckles. "Our boss want's a word with you two," He said with a Spanish accent, "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way."

George began to panic. Only one thought came to mind, he said in a hushed tone to Eleanor, "Eleanor, cloak and run." She didn't need to be told twice.

Bothe disappeared into thin air. The guards were at first surprised but then the leader shouted, "Find them!"

George didn't know where Eleanor had gone, he didn't have his visor on that showed her outline thanks to a built in friend-foe system. His eagle sense would have made her visible but he didn't have a chance to use it. Before he could find a way out the Krogan by luck had charged into him shattering his cloak and slamming him into a wall. His cloak failed. His head and back ached in pain. The krogan smiled as he raised a fist that collided with George's face.

Everything went black.

* * *

><p>George slowly felt himself awaken. The pain that throbbed on and through his head and face was the first thing he felt. He tasted the ion like taste of blood in him mouth and as he gently drifted his eyes open the world around him was illuminated only by a weak orange glow.<p>

"He's awake," A gruff voice of a batarian said from his side, he knew it was batarian as it was speaking the batarian language. He didn't have his omni-tool to translate. Someone had taken it… again. George tried to move only to find that he was bound to a chair by his hands and ankles.

It was then the panic began to set in.

A man, a human moved in front of him as he struggled with his bounds. "You know, if there is one thing I hate more than people who free slaves," The man said in a cold and merciless tone yet his voice was thick in a Latino accent. George looked up at him to see a bald Hispanic man with a large scar beginning his brow and crossing over his left eye. "It's people who free slaves and don't pay for the slaves they free. You are both, that means I don't just hate you, I hate you immensely."

A cold sweat began to form on George's brow. The room itself stank of old and dry blood, not just human blood either. There was a wide selection of tools and knifes that hung on the walls and lay on tables, each covered with red, blue, green and every other blood colour. He gulped.

"You're frightened, aren't you?" The man said as he lowered his head to George's level with a smirk.

"N-No… I… well maybe we can work out a deal sir?" George almost squeaked.

"A deal?" The man said with a chuckle as he stood back up, "You here that, he wants to work out a deal." The others around, one batarian and a turian also began chuckling. Then the man stopped. Then his fist collided with George's head.

George yelped with pain and contorted his watering eyes.

"There will be no deals, no payments, nothing, I am going to make an example of you," The man growled, "As for that girlfriend of yours, she's such a pretty little thing, I'll enjoy having my way with her, and so would my boys here, but don't worry, I'll make sure she's sold to a good home."

"Don't you dare touch her!" George yelled. The man only chuckled.

"You brought this upon yourself by playing 'hero'. What was it for, to impress her? Listen boy, there is no such thing as heroes and now you both are going to pay for attempting to be one."

George was quaking with both fear and anger as he wrestled with the bonds that held his hands behind the chair. His face and chest were in agony. It hurt when he breathed and when he moved. His mid was racing with disorientated thoughts on how to escape yet fear clouded his judgment.

Part of his mid however was able to stay calm and over the chaos it spoke words of sense to him. It told him that he probably had no broken bones, the right movements to free his hands, to take deep breaths. It wasn't enough.

The man walked over to a table and slowly examined the assortment of knives and tools laid out upon it. He picked up a large serrated blade and smiled. "This is a turian Karnlex knife, originally a ceremonial blade. To get cut by one is agonizingly painful."

"Where is she?" George ground with a quiver of fear and anger.

"Oh, she's safe for now. I'd be more worried about yourself if I was you. You know I first tortured a man when I was sixteen. I had been watching tortures for six years before that. I like to think myself a master, but I'm nothing compared to my dad. You know, he takes the head of his enemies and hangs them on the walls of his mansion. I think actually I may start collecting my own, and you would do nicely as the first."

"You are sick! Sick and twisted and insane…"

"What made you guess?" The man chuckled as he slowly approached George. "Now that's enough talk, it's time for the fun to begin. Oh… and don't think your armour will protect you, it will only make things worse. The medi-gel will heal the wounds for me to re-open. How thoughtful of you."

George was thrashing about on his seat in an even more desperate attempt to free himself._ 'This can't be it! Not now!'_

"_George!"_

He heard Helen's ghostly voice as if she was in the room, crying out for him. He tried, he failed, and now he was going to suffer.

There was a suddenly a loud clang followed by a few muffled bangs echoing in the room. George didn't notice how everyone stopped as he continued to wrestle with his bonds. His attention was only drawn to what was happening when a large great fell to the floor followed by a small disk with a blinking light. There was a moment of confused, panicked silence.

Then there was the deafening bang and a blinding flash.

George threw himself back as his ears rang and his eyes frozen with the sight of the flash. His chair finally gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

The ringing pain continued in his ears as he desperately tried to blink the light from his eyes. He thought he could hear the sounds of biotics and then he thought that behind his frozen vision he saw a dark blue flash.

He continued to hear and see these sounds but above it all, as the world calmed down and began to come into focus he could hear something else.

"George! George!"

Dazed George saw a person lean over him… he squinted, and listened to the voice, he couldn't believe what he thought he was seeing and hearing. _'Helen!'_

No, his vision finally came into focus he saw the deep green and worried eyes of Eleanor.

"George! Are you okay?" She asked again in a worried tone.

George stumbled to answer, "Ye… Wh… I'm… How did you get here?"

Eleanor smiled as she untied George's hands and legs before helping him to his feet. George now looked around the room to see the three men who were only moments ago about to commit things he'd rather not think about now lying still on the ground and against the walls. Another person now stood in the room. A woman in black robes and hood, an asari. The same one who was at the slave market earlier.

"George, this is Hianna T'Vapna. She's the one you need to thank for rescuing you."

"Thanks." George said unsurely to the asari before glancing back to Eleanor with a confused look.

"Look, here's what happened…"

* * *

><p>Eleanor watched George get pummelled against a wall by a krogan. She placed her hands over her mouth to stop a scream as she shrunk back from the gang who had surrounded them. She managed to slip past the gang and watched in horror from behind as the leader ordered the krogan to carry George's unconscious body away.<p>

She couldn't help but stand still in fear against a wall and just stayed silent and invisible as the gang dispersed.

It was only when she was alone she let her cloak fall as she stumbled forwards in shock of what happened. Tears formed in her eyes as she now found herself alone with George himself now abducted.

They should have never come here.

She was then suddenly startled by something in the corner of her eye. She panicked, lifted her pistol, turned and without thinking fired a single shot. She saw the breath ripple of a biotic barrier around a cloaked woman. The woman lurched forwards and snatched the pistol from Eleanor's hands. "If you are not careful you could hurt someone with that."

"Y-You, you are the asari from the slave market!" Eleanor stumbled to say as she backed away from the asari.

"Yes. And you are the one who was with that man who freed that asari slave." The woman said.

"Please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do anything wrong." Eleanor said as water continued to swell in her eyes.

"Oh, don't cry. You didn't do anything wrong." The asari sighed as to Eleanor's surprise she shoved the gun back into Eleanor's hands. "I too only buy slaves to free them, but I'm more careful then you two. If you want to get your friend back you will follow me."

Eleanor was standing still in confusion and shock as the asari began walking down the same alleyway that George had been carried down. She wasn't sure what had just happened but as the asari looked over her shoulder as said, "Are you coming or not?" Eleanor decided just to go with it.

"So, um… who are you?" She asked as she stumbled behind the fast paced asari.

"My name is Hianna T'Vapna. That's all you need to know."

"But why are you helping me?"

"Because I am." The asari replied as she approached the side of a building before checking her omni-tool. She then looked up to an open shaft in the side of the wall before a biotic glow surrounded her and she propelled herself up to the shaft and then crawled inside.

Eleanor only watched as Hianna turned and held out a hand for Eleanor. "Jump, I'll pull you in."

"Where does this lead?" Eleanor questioned.

Hianna frowned in annoyance at the young human. "Look, I'm just about the only one on this station who can and is willing to help you so why don't you just stop asking questions and do as I say."

"How can I trust you?" Eleanor asked.

"I gave you you're gun back didn't I? If you don't want to come then why don't you just walk away? I won't stop you but you won't see your friend again if you do."

Eleanor sighed and reluctantly took a running jump at the wall and grabbed onto the asari's arm. She was amazed how Hianna managed to pull her up and into the narrow shaft that ran along into the building.

"Okay… so I guess we're crawling through this narrow air vent." Eleanor muttered.

"I've done this before. If your friend is where I expect he is then this is the best way in. That idiotic madman never secures his vents." Hianna said as she began crawling through with Eleanor trailing close behind. All rational thought told her not to trust this asari but if what she was saying was true then she would help her rescue George. A brief smirk formed on her lips at the thought that the rescuer now needs to be rescued before they have even reached where Helen was being held. Although worry came back to her when she thought that here on this station they had been out done by a gang of pirates and slavers. What's a highly advanced professional time and universe traveling secret organization going to do to them?

It was then Eleanor heard a distant and muffled voice with a distanced accent that sounded as if it originated in Central America back on Earth.

They continued slowly and carefully thought the vents until Hianna stopped at a grate.

"_You are sick! Sick and twisted and insane…" _A panicked voice said from below. George's voice.

"That's him! He's down there!" Eleanor whispered as she attempted to look pass Hianna down into the room.

"_What made you guess? Now that's enough talk, it's time for the fun to begin. Oh… and don't think your armour will protect you, it will only make things worse. The medi-gel will heal the wounds for me to re-open. How thoughtful of you." _A man said in a cold and sadistic voice. A voice that made Eleanor's breath catch in her throat out of fear.

"You're lucky we're still in time." Hianna whispered as she removed a small white disk shaped object from the folds of her black cloak. Eleanor's eyes widened as Hianna pressed a button on the disk and a light on top began to blink. "I'd close your eyes if I were you." She said before bioticly punching down on the grate and dropping the disk in behind.

Eleanor clasped her eyes shut and placed her hands over her ears which didn't help to lessen the deafening bang.

She opened her eyes to see Hianna descend into the room and in the most violent display of biotics Eleanor had ever seen, Hianna through the human, batarian and turian against the walls leaving them crumpled like discarded dolls.

Eleanor too dropped down and saw George lying tide to a chair that had fallen to the ground. She immediately rushed over to him.

"…And that's what happened." Eleanor finished.

"Well then, thank you Hianna." George said, "You saved my life, if there is anything you want…"

"I do not require anything but this. Continue to help people, but please don't get caught again."

"Y-Yes, of course. We'll always try to help those in need." George said as he silently thanked God for people like Hianna.

"Now let's leave before they wake up." Hianna said as biotics swirled around her and she leapt back into the vent.

"Wait, why didn't you kill them?" Eleanor asked as she looked up at the asari.

"You don't think I want to-"

"_Sir, is everything okay in there?" _Said a voice with a knock from behind the locked door.

"-Grab your stuff and let's go."

George turned to the side and picked up his pistol and omni-tool from a nearby table before turning back to the vent. Eleanor had already been pulled in and she helped George up as the person behind the door knocked and called again.

The trio began to crawl down the vent as George asked, "So, why did you help me, not that I'm grateful and all, you don't even know me."

"I just did, that's all you need to know." Hianna coldly muttered.

"You help slaves right?" Eleanor said, "Was that why you help us, you saw us rescue Valkies."

Hianna didn't answer as she just continued to crawl and shift easily thought the vents and Eleanor was barely struggling. As for George however he was larger than Eleanor and his supposedly 'light' armour wasn't helping with his movability.

"I'll take that as a yes." Eleanor muttered before peaking over her shoulder towards George. "And George…"

"Yes Eleanor?" George answered as he struggled to move through the narrow and tight vents. He wasn't claustrophobic but he couldn't help but feel slightly panicked in the confined metal case. It was the tight squeeze and the darkness that he hated the most, even with his omni-tool's flashlight.

Eleanor answered with a fake frown. "Please stop looking at my ass."

"What… Well sorry it's the only thing I can see… No, I didn't mean… I just… Why are you doing this to me? I am having a hard time in here and I just want to get go! So please just hurry!"

Eleanor only laughed at George's distress.

"You do know we're meant to be sneaking out of a gang stronghold." Hianna remained them. George was relieved when Eleanor immediately went quiet.

They finally came to the end of the shaft and all three dropped out and onto a narrow and dim street.

"Thank you again Hianna," George said.

"You are welcome," Hianna replied in a cold tone, "Just one more thing, I never want to see you two on this station again." And with that she left and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

"Well… that was fortunate." George muttered.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Eleanor said.

George couldn't agree more. They began to walk away sure that everything was going to be okay. They didn't see the group of mercenaries and slavers run into the street behind them.

"There they are!"

George and Eleanor briefly glanced at each other and said what they both were thinking; "Run!"

They began to sprint wildly down the narrow and ridged streets. Behind them the sounds of guns being fired rang out and the mass accelerated rounds skimmed passed them. George pushed Eleanor down a turning and soon followed as he felt shots begin to impact his shields.

They kept running, weaving around corners and streets, leaping over discarded rubbish and homeless before turning again.

"Which way!" Eleanor shouted between breaths and over the thuds and clacks of gunshots.

"I… don't… know!" George shouted also between gasps of breaths as he quickly turned another corner and then with Eleanor close at his side down another side street. The shouts of the mercs lessened and dimmed as the two kept moving through the station. "Stop… stop here a sec." George said as he rested against a wall to catch his breath, Eleanor also did so.

After a few deep breaths he pulled up his omni-tool and immediately contacted the ship. "Malbis,"

"_About time you called."_ The salarian said, _"Was getting worried. What took you so long to answer? Gimbaling? Drinks? Women?"_

"Sorry but we got tide up in things," George said as he and Eleanor began to move again at a slower and more cautious pace, "You need to get the ship ready to leave. We…"

"_Have half the station trying to kill you?"_

"Well I wouldn't say half the station, but yes, that's pretty much it."

"_I'll get the ship ready." _Malbis sighed, _"Let me know if you die."_

"Thanks." George muttered dryly as they finally reached the main markets on the outer layer of the station.

They were anything but safe though. People were gathering around a nearby information terminal and when George and Eleanor passed they herd something they didn't want to.

"_These two so called do-gooders want nothing more than to stop our way of life! Whoever brings me them will receive five thousand credits each alive and two thousand dead!" _Said the voice of the gang leader. It was made worse by the fact that George and Eleanor's faces were on the screens.

They didn't need any more incisive to back away and walk briskly towards the ship whilst doing their best to keep a low profile.

"Why is it whenever I'm with you I am either running away from people wanting to kill us or being shot at?" Eleanor asked in a hushed tone.

"You're the one who wanted to come with me. Thanks by the way. If… If you weren't here then… I don't even what to think about it"

"See, you need a partner to keep you out of trouble." Eleanor smiled and gave George a playful nudge.

"Hey, there's the ship. Were almost-"

"With serious threat; stop right there and put your hands up." Said a distinctive deep and monotone voice of an elcor. George and Eleanor froze and were inwardly debating whether or not to take it seriously as they turned. The site of a large and scarred elcor with what resembled to be a small chain gun attached to its side made them think that it was completely serious.

The two slowly began to raise their hands as the elcor glared at them with eyes that seemed far to threatening for the seemingly peaceful and calm species.

"With threat and smugness; you two are to drop your weapons and come-"

"This One seriously request that you stop right there Harmiaren."A somewhat distorted voice said from behind them. It was unmistakably the voice of a hanar and George and Eleanor risked a glance over their shoulders to see the pink jellyfish like alien standing in a surprisingly threatening pose with a Shuriken sub-machinegun in one tentacle.

"With annoyance; what do you want Odlom?" The elcor said.

"This one wishes to inform you that this one considers the bounty on these two heads to be its own. This one respectively asks you to hand them over." The hanar said.

"With annoyance and threat; I don't thinks so Odlom. These two are mine."

"I must insist you hand them over or I will unfortunately end your life."

"With menacing glee; I would like to see you try."

"Very well Harmiaren. I apologise for any inconvenience your death will cause." The hanar said. It was then George witnessed something that he never had seen before. The elcor's chain gun swung up from George and Eleanor to the hanar and fired. George and Eleanor dived out of the way and so did the hanar. It moved faster than any hanar George had seen. It slid to the left and then launched itself at the elcor and wrapped itself around said elcor's large grey body.

The elcor made what must have been a grunt of rage as the hanar ripped off the chain gun and lifted its sub-machinegun to the elcor's head. The elcor however charged to the side and shook the hanar away before it could fire.

George wanted to see what happened next but Eleanor grabbing his arm and lifting him to his feet whilst saying "Run!" made him forget about the fight as he sprinted to the ship. They both reached the gangplank as Sceroax, holding a widow sniper rifle in his talons ran out to greet them.

He grunted and gestured for them to head inside as he stayed behind to ensure that nobody followed.

As George entered the ship he felt as if he had passed through a door of relief. He turned to the cabin where Malbis was gently tapping away at the helm whilst humming to himself.

"Shouldn't' we be going?" George asked after Sceroax had boarded and sealed the airlock behind.

"Huh? Oh, yes, very well. Nice to see you alive also."

There was a slight shudder as the docking clamps disengaged and the ship drifted from the station. Then the engines kicked in as Sceroax placed his rifle in a holder next to his seat that he promptly sat in.

George and Eleanor sat down in the spare seats behind and finally relaxed as the ship pulled away from the station and Malbis set the corse.

"No more relays from here." The salarian said, "FTL all the way, except for stops to discharge the drive core of course."

"So this is it. No going back." Eleanor said.

"No, we can go back whenever you want." Malbis said.

George gulped and said with determination, "We keep going."

Malbis only nodded as the ship's drive core powered up and the accelerated past light speed.


End file.
